The Love Critic
by LILMISSS
Summary: Meet Xion, known as The Love Critic. She goes out on dates with random men, and humiliates them in her weekly column from the date. She's also really rich and single. Meet Roxas. He could change that. RoxasXion, RokuShion.
1. An Unexplained Date

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Sam." And then Xion Leonhart flashed a smile that she hoped implied something along the lines of _"Pleasure? Oh no, it was a displeasure meeting you, jerk!"_

She took a cursory glance around when the light, yet dreary conversation was interrupted by a waiter. The restaurant was rather fancy; the chandelier lights hanging precariously above their heads, the deep red curtains and walls that surrounded the area, the tense atmosphere...

_No patrons in the restaurant at all today. I can't believe Sam would sacrifice his customers for fame on my column. Not like he'll have the sort of fame he wants._

"Yesh, _She-on,_ the pleasure's all mine," the man replied, as the pair stood up. Sam took Xion's hand and kissed the back of it, before presenting her with a bouquet of flowers. "Some flowers for _milady_?"

Xion could imagine how her column would start - _Hello, readers! As a starter, let me share an urgent piece of advice to all mothers and people who have children- never give your daughter a name that can't be pronounced without difficulty. It may result in your daughter developing a sudden urge to slap the tongue-tied person straight in the face. Usually, such urges are rather acceptable. However, in this case with my date Sam Rex, it is completely and utterly unacceptable to split my name into two syllables. As usual, here's The Love Critic dishing out harsh comments on my date last Wednesday._

"Thank you very much. And about the article; it will be out on Saturday. Do buy a copy of the Twilight Times then. It would be good if you read it."

_Do take my words seriously. You'll need it._

"R-Right."

Xion smiled again. This dude was _definitely _uncomfortable with such an article about him being printed out for the whole of New York to read. Heck, the whole of _America, _and the whole world once she'd get down to blogging her article online. Tumblr, Wordpress, Blogger, Facebook, Twitter; those were the platforms her blog supported. Her article could be reblogged, republished, shared and tweeted, by as many people as possible, and thinking of the readership, her heart swelled with pride and she smiled. _The wonders of social media_.

A million hits would be enough to humiliate him, and she had just the resources. She _was,_ after all, the most widely read columnist in America. _The Love Critic _was _the_ most popular segment on print, and Xion was behind it all.

"Well, see you," Xion waved, as she straightened her black strapless dress that flared out just nicely. Then, she hastily made her way back, lingering just for a moment to see if the man bothered to offer a ride. Another one of the 'tests' Xion set up for her dates.

Rolling her eyes and scoffing quietly to herself, Xion walked off, ignoring the lecherous stares from the other men walking past her. She checked her handbag for her car keys, and unlocked her new Ferrari, again turning a blind eye to jealous pedestrians of the street, ogling over her car.

She careened down the road swiftly, putting on her scarf and sunglasses as she drove through the business districts, an aura of confidence and wealth surrounding her. It turned heads and earned dreamy sighs, and Xion wasn't surprised, for her car was one of the most sought-after cars in the world.

_Limited edition, with only 50 in the world. And I got it for free since that guy didn't want to be humiliated terribly._

Xion let out a smile. She was famous, professional and rich. What more could she want?

As she passed by a small café (_The Oblivion_ _café_, she thought, _what a strange, ominous name_), she realised she _did _want something else.

_The happily ever after in my life._

* * *

The Oblivion café was an average, lowly café in the suburbs of who-knows-where.

Like most cafés, it sold food, coffee, and all other stuff. It was cosy, pleasant, but insignificant.

So insignificant, that the employees could loaf around, and lounge on the couches.

"Axel, get your lazy bum off the couch! And didn't I take away that lighter last week?" Roxas Strife grabbed it out of Axel's hand, examined it carefully, before giving his pyromaniac of a friend an incredulous look. "You bought a _new _one?"

The redhead looked at his lighter. "I think I stole it from you. Yep. This is Alice Blitz, lighter, and wife of Mr Axel Blitz."

Axel beckoned Roxas for the lighter with a forced pout that would make babies cry out of the nightmares it would give. He attempted to grab it back, before scoffing, "Stupid wife robber."

Of course, the blonde was obliged to hand back the lighter, and he tossed the wet rag at Axel carelessly at the same time. "We have to clean up the tables. Marluxia's orders."

"Who gives a _shit _about that pink-haired dude? I don't get bossed around by a pink-haired person who claims to be a guy but surrounds himself with roses!" the redhead retorted. Nevertheless, he picked up the rag and flopped it back on the table, before making random circles with it.

Roxas sighed, his azure eyes lowered. "Well, you still have to listen to him. He's our boss. Besides, we _need _this job."

The mischievous glint in Axel's eyes disappeared. He got up, adjusting his sleeveless denim jacket and the plain black shirt beneath it. "The food, the money for our rent and electricity and water..." he mumbled quietly.

The two best friends looked at each other and sighed. Axel flicked his lighter, his emerald eyes brooding as the flame appeared before him. Roxas shrugged to himself, as if trying to pretend their situation wasn't much, and continued to wring the water out of the dirty rag.

"This does suck, you know?" Roxas groaned, and he flopped down onto the seat.

"What sucks?" a chirpy feminine voice asked, as the little bell on the door tinkled noisily. Naminé smiled at the two men.

"Yo, Nami," Axel waved, as the blonde girl walked over to give her elder brother an adoring hug. The redhead snickered as he watched Roxas' face flush in embarassment. "Well, look who's oh-so loving today, hm? You got into that awesome art school?"

"Roxas, I did it...!" Naminé squealed loudly in Roxas' chest (he could feel the vibration on his chest from her voice), "I really got into Twilight Art Academy!"

Roxas grinned, and he took his sister by her shoulders. "That's great, Naminé!" The two looked at each other for a moment, before the older sibling frowned, "Couldn't get a scholarship, right?"

The girl nodded forlornly. "Not even close. Apparently they checked out our family background."

Roxas winced. "Cloud."

"I can't believe that you still call Dad by his first name," Naminé mused thoughtfully. She sighed. "Well, no use crying over it. I'm planning to borrow some cash from Selphie..."

"No way, Naminé, you're not gonna borrow money. We're gonna pay for your studies _ourselves_," Roxas said confidently, as he picked up the newspapers to browse through it, "and for starters, I'm gonna juggle _two _jobs."

Naminé sighed again. "Sure thing, Roxas...but if you ever feel stresse-"

"-quit your job _immediately_," Roxas imitated her, before giving her a reassuring smile, "but I'll be fine. Now, how does pastry chef Roxas sound?"

Axel picked up another copy of the newspapers. "Speaking of _jobs_, Roxas, why don't you try out The Love Critic? You could ask her out and-"

"I'm not going to go on a date just to cheat her of her money and a meal, okay? What am I going to say after her date? "Hey, listen, I know you like today and all, so I was just wondering if you could fund my sister's education in Twilight Art Academy"?" Roxas snapped, before he narrowed his eyes at Axel. "Why can't _you _ask her?"

"I'm probably 5 years her senior. You're just _1 _year older. She's 23, and you're 24. I'm 28," Axel pointed out. He stood up, indicating that he was about to say something important. "I was about to suggest that you rope in The Love Critic with your boyish charm," and Axel pinched Roxas' cheek playfully to prove his point, "and then invite her over here for some coffee. Bring some publicity. Maybe weasel some mone-"

"Not a chance, Axel," Roxas interrupted. He looked over his shoulder at Naminé, who was giggling all the while at Axel's insane idea. "Look, even my _sister _finds the idea ridiculous."

"Well, you could try it out. Maybe Marluxia will give you two a raise or something for the publicity..." she remarked, smiling. "Actually, I kinda like the idea. Finally, my big brother, going on a _date_ with someone of the _opposite gender_," and on cue she glanced at Axel, who looked up from his newspapers, "who is not related in any way!"

"Hey, are you calling me a _gay _for Roxas, here?" Axel asked, and he smacked Roxas' back so hard the blonde almost tripped. Axel smirked. "Because our _dates_ are called _guy-to-guy meetings_."

Naminé ignored him and turned to Roxas. "You should try it out. You're still young, and I want you to..."

"Settle _down_, Roxy_ dear_," Axel teased, using a dish rag to whip Roxas' shoulder in the most seductive way that Axel could muster. "Have a girlfriend, get married, have kids and make me Daddy Axel!"

"Axel, if I ever had to make you my children's godfather, you can only see them once a year so you wouldn't be a bad influence."

"…well, make it Christmas so in the very least I can give them my lighters." Axel grinned at the blonde.

Roxas frowned. "Whatever," he muttered, before he glanced at the clock. Evening. "Should I try out this pastry chef thing?"

No one bothered to answer him, and Roxas was left to peruse the scintillating opportunity of baking pastries. Naminé turned to the redhead. "Axel, did _The Love Critic _leave a number there in her column? We could call her down now..."

"Pastry chef Strife. It has a good ring to it, I suppose. Hope today's my lucky, lucky day!" Roxas quickly stored the number into his phone, reminding himself to call later.

Meanwhile, the redhead scanned the newspaper intently. Finally, he put his hand out, his eyes never leaving the page. "Found her."

* * *

Xion flicked on the lights drearily. She wrestled the black high heels out of her feet, and she walked into her lush apartment, sighing as she surveyed her home.

She didn't even have a pet to greet her (since she killed at least 5 goldfish in a year), let alone a man.

The raven-haired woman sighed again, before she shuffled to the couch. She lounged there, playing with her velvet ribbon on her waist for a moment, before finally standing up. "I'm going to do some work now!" she addressed her home.

She was about to walk away when her phone rang. She jumped, and then raised her eyebrows.

_Who would be calling at this time for a date?_

* * *

_"Hello, this is Xion Leonhart, The Love Critic speaking."_

Roxas, Axel and Naminé were huddled in front of the café telephone. "I heard her voice!" Naminé squealed excitedly, "and it's just like what I imagined her to sound like!"

Axel grinned at Roxas, and he spoke, "Hello, this is Axel here. I would like to...ah screw it!"

The redhead promptly shoved the phone to Roxas, who yelped. "_Axel_! You promised you'd call her for us!"

"Yeah, but I didn't state that I'd talk to her for the whole conversation, right?"

_"If this is a prank call, I'm going t-" _

Roxas quickly jumped in. "U-Uh, sorry, hi. I'm Roxas."

_"R-Roxas. Okay. Who was that Axel guy I was speaking to before?" _the voice turned harsh and business-like, from hesitant and vulnerable. Roxas gulped, Axel turned around and punched his fist into the air, "She got my _name,_ baby! Axel's still _sizzling _with the ladies!", and Naminé cringed at Xion's sudden tone.

"U-Uh, my co-worker. Would you like to meet us- I mean, me, at the Oblivion café, now? We really need the pub-"

_"A date? Now? Okay, sure. Be prepared, though. If you read my column, you know what I'm expecting and what this entails."_

Roxas was about to say 'Sure', but he soon realised something amiss. "W-What? N-No, I don't want a da-!"

_"See you, Roxas."_

_Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep._

The blonde man stumbled back, flabbergasted. "Oh, my goodness. I just arranged a _date _with _Xion Leonhart _today_!"_


	2. Cosy

"Axel, stop staring at your lighter, help me with the arrangements! Naminé, help me clean up the mess on the tables!" Roxas barked, and then he frantically skidded his way towards the counter, so that he could polish all the glass cups. He had to clean up the entire café _and _the mess Axel made when he spat out his coffee in his merry laughter when Roxas yelled _I have a date with Xion Leonhart today!_

"Roxas, her name is _Alice_. Got that memorized? Not you, Alice, I'm talking to Roxas here," Axel introduced, waving Alice at the blonde, who simply groaned. Axel grinned. He carefully slipped the female lighter into his jean pocket. "Okay, I'll help you clean up the mess I made..."

"No, you go to _your_ mess and do it _alone_, Axel." Roxas hissed frustratedly. He halted in his tracks, almost tripping over the tables that he had set up for himself and Xion."I just realised that we haven't made dinner!"

"No, you go to _your_ kitchen and do it _alone_, Roxas," Axel imitated perfectly, and then he gave Roxas the very same scowl he had given to the redhead. Naminé simply giggled.

"Not funny, Nami! This isn't time to giggle at Axel!" the older sibling cried out at his younger counterpart, causing the girl to ironically burst out laughing much harder.

"S-Stop that! I-I'm- _Arghhhh_!" Roxas yelled out in frustration, before he marched into the kitchen, mumbling about the list of things he had to do before Xion Leonhart came.

Naminé and Axel looked at each other. "He's so uptight all the time..." Naminé sighed, "I really hope he finds his special someone that can calm his nerves anytime."

* * *

"I think...I'll go fashionably late," Xion mused thoughtfully aloud, since there was no one that could hear her. After an incident where the paparazzi hounded her down and eavesdropped on her personal conversations on the phone, she had soundproofed her entire mansion, using up the favour that this really rich guy specialising in soundproofing offered. "I'll see if this Roxas reacts accordingly."

She slipped out of her strapless dress, and donned a simple navy blue spaghetti-strap dress that reached her knees, a sweet velvet ribbon around her waist; they were a striking red. She topped it off with her necklace, the one that she wore everywhere for simplicity yet sophistication, and contrasting yellow stockings for her legs. Wacky, yet sweet, just the way she liked it.

"And...I think I'll wait til six. No worries, right?" She attempted to laugh, then stopped at the eerie echo that she produced.

_How long has it been since I last had a good laugh?_

* * *

_"C'mon, I'm not ticklish!" she yelled, giggling like a 5-year-old about to sit on Santa Claus' lap._

_"Well, let's see about it, shall we?" He darted around her teasingly, causing her to erupt in cheery laughter, before he finally took hold of her from the back, his hands creeping to her stomach. Then..._

_"H-Hey! Hahaha! S-Stop that! Hahaha!" she choked out through her loud laughs in between._

_"See, told you that you're ticklish!" he whispered into her ear, nipping it playfully. Then, he reached forward to land a small peck on her cheek._

* * *

"Oh, -!"

The alarm clock rang loudly, blaring out some loud music. Xion groaned, as she struggled up from her sofa. "Just a _memory_..."

She stared at the alarm in horror. "I-I'm _late_?"

* * *

"Is she there yet?" Roxas asked nervously. He looked at Axel, who was playing with his hair. "Axel…what are you doing?"

"There's nothing wrong with fiddling with my hair. If girls can do it, so can men! We have to show the ladies who's boss, y'know?" Axel replied. He suddenly paused, staring at the floor, before finally turning to Roxas. "I'm balding."

"What?" the blonde yelled, and he took a last lingering glance at the road before he bolted towards Axel. "Axel! I cleaned that area up just minutes ago!"

The redhead frowned cutely, "Well, b-but I'm balding! Doesn't that scare you, Roxy? Just imagine; a sad world with Axel The Old."

"Well, I'd rather you bald and grow up, really," Roxas muttered, and he looked out at the window. The crimson sky was being tainted with darkness, and street lights lit up like a domino effect; one after another. "Where is she?"

Axel looked at his wrist; his imaginary watch. "I don't know. Your date was supposed to start an hour ago."

"It's not mine, it's _our_ date, Axel!" Roxas corrected, and he glared at Axel. "You promised you'd stay for the whole date."

"Fine, fine," Axel muttered, "sheesh, since when did you turn into my wife?"

"Wives don't date other people with their own husband, Axel..." the blonde retorted weakly.

"Whatever."

Just then, the bell rang. Roxas and Axel instantly turned around, plastering huge grins.

Until they saw who it was.

"Heeeeeeeya, employees!" a sultry voice greeted, and Roxas widened his eyes. "How's business?"

"Lousy, Marluxia, just lousy," Axel answered, before he spoke again. "Xion Leonhart is coming over right about now."

A dramatic gasp from Marluxia. "Get ouuuut. Oh, my goodness, such a celebrity, coming to the likes of this lowly café? I'm thrilled, really. But..." Marluxia trailed off, pursing his lips and placing his hand on his hip, which was jutting out.

Roxas flinched. But?

"But what, Marluxia?" Axel probed, cocking his head at him.

"Well...it's sort of booked, so to say," Marluxia stated, shaking his head. "My granny's coming here for her 98th birthday, and I offered the place for her birthday party. Sorry, babes."

He winked discreetly at Roxas, and under the counter Axel squeezed his hand reassuringly. Axel's language for _He likes you, lil' boy_...

"U-Uh, but we cleaned up the place just for Ms Leonhart, sir!" Roxas blurted out, his eyes widening.

"Well, it's a good thing you did, since my granny hates dirt!" Marluxia replied, giving the two a thumbs-up. "Anyway, I think that's her." He jerked his thumb at the Ferrari pulling over.

Roxas felt like digging a hole and staying there.

Xion walked into the café, looking around with displeasure. Then, she addressed the three men present. "I believe there's a Roxas who set up a date here?"

Axel whistled casually, and Roxas just pinched Axel's thigh angrily. The redhead didn't mind, since he was very immune to it; he had been doing it since kindergarten.

"U-Uh, that'd be me, Ms Leonhart!" Roxas waved at her, leaning over the counter a little too much. He coughed, his stomach squished.

Xion blinked at how Roxas addressed her_. A first time_. She smiled warmly. "Please, Roxas, call me Xion."

"R-Right, Ms Le- I mean, uh, Xion." The blonde walked up to her, and smiled. It wasn't forced; her presence just made him smile, for reasons unknown. He extended his hand stiffly. "I'm Roxas Strife. Sorry about the weird phone call before."

Xion nodded her head, and shook her hand with him. She waited for it, but nothing else came. Xion smiled again. _Another first; no kiss on the hand, no shaking with both hands cupping my hand. No expensive gifts._

She examined him carefully. Roxas noticed, and he blushed. "Uh, I'm real sorry about my clothes. You see, I work here."

"We were cleaning up the café for the date," Axel explained, since the redhead noticed that the blonde wasn't breathing much. "Roxas was quite excited, and jumpy. Forgive him, okay, Ms Leonhart?"

Xion nodded her head. "Sure. You must be Axel, am I right?"

Axel grinned widely. "Yup! Thanks for getting my name; Roxas has been teasing me about not being _hot_ with the ladies."

"Axel! Shut it!" Roxas blushed furiously, glaring at Axel. Xion simply laughed. _Another first; making me laugh with his retorts._

Marluxia was next to speak. "Hello, Ms Leonhart, I'm Marluxia Scythe, owner of this café here. I'm so sorry to say that it's closed for the day, so your date has to be somewhere else."

Xion blinked, and she glanced at Roxas, who winced. _Is this strike one? _she thought to herself, _because for the first strike, it's terribly serious. _"U-Uh, I think I know somewhere else where we can go...but you have to promise not to freak out." Roxas laughed nervously, almost too nervously.

"Why?" the raven-haired lady asked curiously, cocking her head. She was indeed in quite a date. "And what exactly, considering my line of work, would _freak me out_?"

* * *

"Uh...here we are, Ms Leonhart," Roxas mumbled, as he opened the door to his apartment. "I'm sorry about screwing up our date, really."

Xion nearly dropped her purse. It was a sparse apartment, armed with a couch, a few beanbags, a small TV, and a coffee table, stained with coffee marks.

There was a small dining table, with a dim light pointed towards it. There was a plate on the table with a half-eaten bacon, and crumbs all over the place. There were only two chairs, presumably for himself and any other guest.

"Axel..." Roxas hissed, "you didn't clean up your breakfast?"

"I'm just a simple man, not a robot," was his curt reply. Axel shuffled into the apartment, taking off his shoes and tossing it aside, nearly hitting Xion, who yelped. "Whoops" was all Axel could say, as he threw himself onto the couch.

Roxas grimaced. "Axel, we have a _guest_ here," he hissed, his lips taut.

"Yes, that _I_ happened to invite!" Axel responded, crossing his arms. He turned to Xion. "I called you up, then I got lazy, so I pushed you to Roxas. He's a sweet guy and-"

"Wait," Xion paused, taking in the fresh new piece of information, "so in that 1 hour I was late, you were-"

"Cleaning up the café, trying to make it spick and span for your royal date. Not me, though; it was more of a Roxas-only effort."

Roxas sheepishly shrugged, though Xion could tell that he was quite proud of himself. "I tried, I guess."

"Rubbish," Axel retorted, "and despite all the cleaning you could _still _think of a dinner for her. And a _setting_!"

"A-A what-"

"_Axel_, please don't tell her everything…"

"Okay, Roxy used to have this grand idea of setting up this mobile restaurant, so he compiled a lovely list of all the possible different settings for a breakfast, lunch or dinner. Clients would detail what meal they want, and he'll settle all the fine little details!" Axel clasped his hands, beaming.

"And so, you..." Xion glanced at Roxas, "you…thought up of everything?"

Axel answered before Roxas could. "Oh, yes, definitely. He thought of the food, the desserts-"

"Desserts!" Xion cried out, suddenly lighting up. "What did you think of for desserts?"

"Uh…it was hot mango strudel-" Roxas began.

"And it all went along quite well with the setting of _cosy _he got!" Axel added, grinning. "I bet no other guy thinks of such things for you, huh?"

Xion looked at the two men standing before her, and then she laughed. "No, not at all. They just…hand me the menu. And setting…wow. No one _ever _thinks of _cosy _for a setting."

Roxas widened his eyes. "So you don't like cosy?" he asked, his face disappointed.

"I-I think I'd like cosy," Xion stated, and she broke into a smile. "I've been to too many romantic restaurants, to be honest."

The blonde's face relaxed and he smiled at her. "I can tell. My sister's a huge fan of your column, so she tells me all about your articles all the time." He grinned sheepishly at the thought of her, and Xion couldn't help but smile at his close relationship with his sister.

The raven-haired female wondered why Roxas felt like the type of guy she'd pour out everything to. Maybe it was his smile, maybe his charm, maybe-

"Anyway, uh, take a seat! Don't sit next to Axel though," Roxas whispered in her ear, not too close. "He may show you Alice and you'd get freaked out by us."

"Alice?"

"You really don't wanna know what it is..."

Xion grinned. She suddenly felt so...comfortable. Usually she'd be all tensed up, thinking about how her article would turn out, work issues and so many other things other than the date. But here...it was different. She wasn't even thinking much anymore. "Tell me!" Her eyes sparkled wildly with curiosity.

Roxas blinked at her sudden change in attitude, then snapped out of it. "His lighter."

"No way. That is just cute!" Xion gushed, and she grinned widely at Roxas. The two stared at each other at the doorway, until Axel got out of the bathroom and rolled his eyes at them.

"Stop staring, Xion, you may get Roxas' obsession with..." he lowered his voice dramatically, "mangoes."

"M-Mangoes?" Xion blurted out, and she giggled. "An obsession with mangoes?"

"Axel!" Roxas snapped, "Were you getting high on Alice just now in the restroom?"

The redhead gasped, and snarled at him, "You did not just say her name aloud in another presence."

"Yeah, I did!"

"Say it again, and I'll make sure Xion gets the honour of writing a column full of your quirks."

"Aliceeeeee." Roxas hissed, and the two men glared at each other.

Axel turned away from him, then his emerald eyes glinted as he spoke, "Xion, when Roxas was young, he brought a goldfish out for a walk, without its bowl; it died and he didn't know why. He had this huge teddy bear from a girl named Anna, and he was so happy that he named the bear after her and sleeps with it even now. Once, his little sister tried to convince him that he was adopted and he was from Kenya, and he believed it until his parents freaked out when he bought a one-way plane ticket there. He-"

"Axel!"

"-once chickened out on a guy date because he wanted to watch a cooking show. He al-"

"Okay! You win, Axel, you terrible pyromaniac." Roxas blushed, and he groaned. "You just embarrassed me for life."

"Aw, no worries, Roxas," Xion laughed, "you can go to Anna the bear and maybe you'll feel better...!" She then erupted into laughter, her eyes practically tearing.

The two men looked at Xion, before they both burst out laughing too.

* * *

Axel and Roxas both helped to set up the cosy setting that Xion requested. Axel had envisioned 'just a bed, you two under the sheets and kisses for your dinner', but Roxas ignored his suggestion and arranged his entire apartment.

He cleaned up the coffee table, and dragged a yellow beanbag chair to the coffee table. "How 'bout you, Xion? What colour do you like?"

Xion pursed her lips. "Blue," she said, looking at her attire. "It matches your beanbag since I'm wearing blue and yellow."

Roxas laughed. "Yeah, I guess so. Thank goodness you didn't choose red..."

"...why?"

"Axel can be very...possessive of his colour. You don't want to get on his bad side."

"R-Right..."

Roxas smiled, and he looked at the clock. "I-It's eight already?" He widened his eyes at Xion. "You must be insanely hungry right now! Oh, crap, I need to get the setting right, then decide what to cook, and then I have to settle Axel's portion, and-"

"Heeeey, Roxas! Relax, I'm not that hungry. I can wait, seriously!" Xion laughed, as she patted and then squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. Roxas breathed in, and then he calmed down.

"Okay, as long as you're not-"

A growl erupted within the room. Xion blushed, and smiled nervously, while Roxas just looked at her and smacked his forehead. "Y-You said you weren't hungry!"

Xion grinned, "I can wait. Seriously, just stop worrying!"

Roxas raised an eyebrow. "B-But you're a guest! Heck, you're famous! I'm dirt compared to you!"

The female scowled, as she crossed her arms. "Don't say that. Everyone has their flaws and worths." She smiled again, "like your obsession with mangoes!"

"Aw, man, you gonna write that in your article?" Roxas asked, but he didn't need an answer, for he laughed it off immediately. He then pulled the blue beanbag to Xion. The raven-haired lady sat down, straightening her skirt. She sunk deeped into the beanbag, causing her to grin.

Xion noticed the blonde staring at her in awe. She grinned. "I guess it's a habit for me to sit down in such a way. It'd be weird if I just plopped down, just like that on the chair, y'know?"

The man grinned back. "Why not try to plop down now? I'm completely fine with it, really."

Xion raised her eyebrows. "You mean, just stand up to sit down in the weirdest manner?"

"Yeah, I mean, if you'd like..."

The female immediately stood up, before she shut her eyes and fell into the beanbag with a soft thud. She opened her eyes, and she laughed. "Oh, that was fun!"

Roxas nodded. "Yeah. Axel and I have our own ways of sitting on the beanbag. Axel just-"

"Axel does it awesomely," Axel announced, striding into the room. "Watch me, Xion. Heee-yah!" He rammed into the poor beanbag, his stomach landing squarely on it. The red squishy chair just let his body sink in.

As Xion burst out laughing at Axel's antics, Roxas just smiled at her.


	3. Our lives, melt away

"Okay, okay, we all know we're hungry, right?" Axel asked, as he tossed another dart onto the newly printed poster of Barney. It hit the purple dinosaur's snout.

"Axel, stop destroying Barney," Roxas lamented, as he slouched back in his couch, "since you've been watching his shows since the day you were born."

"Well, he didn't teach me how to play with fire," the redhead replied nonchalantly, before he threw another dart, "and that explains why I had burns when I was younger. Stupid dinosaur; can't he teach _more_ things that are actually _useful _to me?"

Xion giggled, and she looked at Roxas expectantly, as though he had this invisible _responsibility _to laugh, which he did quite naturally.

"Anyway, since Xion's still here, why not show her some food spots that no celebrity would be caught _dead _in?" Axel asked. He walked over to the curtains, and peeked out of the window. "No paparazzi, for all _I _know."

The blonde got up. "I promised Xion a home-cooked meal, Axel. Not a cheap one. Or a microwaved one."

Axel sighed, and he ran his fingers through his hair. "Oh well. Okay. I'll go grab some pizza then. Don't bother cooking some for me, Roxas."

He grabbed a coat and his scarf. "See you, Xion. And your article. Remember, _mango _obsessions..."

Xion giggled again, as she stood up as well. She patted Roxas' shoulder reassuringly. "Sure thing, Axel. I'll make sure the fact gets blown up."

Axel chortled. "Okay, good. Bye!" He left the two to the entire house, as he gingerly stepped out, took a deep, exaggerated breath and strode away.

Roxas shut the door after him, shaking his head with an evident smile on his face. "Axel has a habit of leaving doors open."

The female nodded. "Even house doors?"

"Yup, exactly," Roxas agreed, before he let out a small laugh. He looked at Xion. "So, what do you want for dinner?"

"O-Oh, yeah!" she exclaimed out, suddenly realising how her stomach had unconsciously suffered without any food to break down. "Okay, surprise me, Roxas. I can eat _anything _now."

The blonde grinned, and gave her a thumbs-up. "Okay. Then I'll prepare my Roxas Special, just for you."

Xion grinned back in anticipation. "Great!"

Roxas nodded and he walked into the kitchen. "Want some music from the radio?" He gave a chuckle as he admitted, "I like having music whenever I have to cook something up, actually."

The female stood up from the beanbag to walk around the living room. "Really? Why?"

"Not really, it's just the mood. I take jumpy tunes for main courses and frying, and I have slow music for dessert and simple garnishing," the blonde replied, as he switched on the radio. "Okay, let's see what's on..."

He tuned in to the first radio station.

"-kay, here's Dawn Sapphire, signing off. G'night, peeps!" the radio blared out. Roxas started to gather all his cooking materials in the kitchen; Xion could hear it from the sudden clattering of metals.

She lounged about the couch for a moment, listening to the soft music, observing her surroundings. She then closed her eyes, and listened intently to the song.

_I got tired of waiting  
Wondering if you were ever coming around  
My faith in you is fading  
When I met you on the outskirts of town, and I said  
Romeo save me I've been feeling so alone  
I've been waiting for you but you never come  
Is this in my head? I don't know what to think  
He knelt to the ground and-_

"Roxas," Xion asked, as she noticed a framed photograph of Roxas and a blonde-haired girl, "have you ever gotten a _girlfriend_?"

"A _what_?" he called out, and he switched off the radio. He walked into the living room, in his apron.

"A girlfriend," Xion repeated, as she pointed at the girl, "have you ever had one?"

Roxas peered at the photograph for a moment, before he laughed. "No way, that's my sister," he said, and he gently took it from Xion and placed it back, "Naminé."

"Naminé?"Xion asked, and then she furrowed her eyebrows. Then, she looked up at Roxas in sudden realisation, "You mean the one who tells you about my articles?"

"That's her, alright," the blonde nodded, "Naminé."

"I see." Xion continued looking at it. She noticed a tear at both sides, and she cocked her head in mild confusion. "The photograph was torn?"

She didn't notice that Roxas had already walked back to making dinner, and had switched on the radio.

_Love can touch us one time  
And last for a lifetime  
And never go til we're one  
Love was when I loved you  
One true time I hold to  
In my life we'll always go on_

"Too old," was heard in the background, as the song was abruptly switched. He yelled out to Xion as he made the switch, "You don't mind a change of songs, right?"

"No, no, not at all," Xion said, as she continued examining the photograph.

She noticed someone's arm over Naminé's shoulders, and another hand on Roxas' arm. The two people were ripped off the photograph, it seemed.

Sighing forlornly at such a mysterious photograph, Xion nevertheless stayed mute about it, and she continued browsing the shelf. There were many sketches of Roxas and Axel, but one unfamiliar brunette popped out in the midst of red and blonde.

Xion stole a glance at the kitchen. Roxas was humming to the new song that came up on the radio, as soft sizzling could be heard.

_Parlez vous francais?  
Konichiwa  
Come and move in my way  
Hey, little chica from Guadeloupe  
That thing you got behind you is amazing _

The female, now assured that Roxas wouldn't pop out all of a sudden, gently pulled out the sketch. She scanned the female brunette slowly. Curly, a pink ribbon tying it up, her bangs falling all over. She was pale, and apparently lying down, since Xion noticed a pillow behind her.

There were two pairs of hands holding her arms; one a frail, mildly pale one, and the other pair a strong, firm hand, with two rings; black and white on the right hand fingers. There was a shadow looming above the woman; it was sketched out to be a man walking out of the door.

Xion scanned the paper and flipped it behind. It was labelled _Leaving Us_.

"That was my mum," Roxas answered all the thoughts in her head, as he looked at the sketch with a sad smile. Xion froze, before she turned around with an apologetic expression. He didn't explain the sketch, and Xion sensed there was something rather ominous behind the photograph.

"I-I'm sorry for touching them..." Xion apologised, as she hastily put it back. Then, she smiled. "But may I know who drew them?"

Roxas walked over to the raven-haired female, as he looked proudly at all the sketches. "Those were drawn by Naminé, when she was much younger." He grinned at Xion. "She had her artistic side since she was 6."

He picked up one sketch of himself, and smiled at it. "That was when I was 9. I still remember how my mum used to sit next to her and watch her sketch her neighbourhood."

Xion nodded her head, and then she looked at Roxas. "She's 21 now, right?"

"Yeah. Still young, still studying," the blonde mused, as he browsed through the sketches. He narrowed his eyes at the one with his mother, "still _looking _for some way to study..."

"Oh." Xion dropped it there, seeing the sad twinkle in his sapphire eyes.

"She needs money for her school fees to Twilight Art Academy," Roxas continued, as he drew open the curtains, revealing the dark sky looming over the skyscrapers and buildings, "so I'll be working doubly hard soon. No sweat!"

Xion studied that determined look on his face, the sadness in his eyes, the resolve he had for such a simple task. And she felt entirely reassured that he would succeed, in some way or another.

"I'm sure you'd get the money; even if you didn't, you can always get some cash from me," she offered, and she was met with his serious expression.

"No, it's quite alright; I don't think it's nice to borrow cash," Roxas stated, as he smiled. "I think I look like I'm trying to prove something to you, huh?"

"That you're independent and determined? You _definitely _pass that test," Xion replied.

"I think...I'm trying to prove to everyone that I _can _survive without anyone's help," Roxas said, before he turned to Xion. "Oh yeah, dinner's ready!"

"So...how was it?" Roxas asked eagerly.

Xion scanned the coffee table. Roxas had only one serving of everything, and Xion had two servings of everything but the dessert ("It's _mango _strudel _and _mango pudding, Roxas, so I'm not gonna take this last bit so you'd have some to enjoy later when I leave," Xion teased, and Roxas blushed in embarrassment, since frankly, he _was _planning such a time later) And despite all the obvious signs (famous female stuffing herself, eating every grain of food...) that she enjoyed herself thoroughly, he was asking such a question.

"It's _perfect_, Roxas! Really!" Xion exclaimed, and she nearly spat out the final mango pudding that she had just shovelled into her mouth in her excitement. "I'd give it my Love Critic rating of 11 out of 10!"

Roxas blushed shyly. "R-Really? Is it _that _great?"

"Absolutely! The best meal I've ever had for a date; no, wait, scratch that, _the_ bestmeal I've ever set my eyes upon!" Xion exclaimed louder, and she realised that she looked like some form of glutton scientists had never classified before. She settled down, simultaneously realising that she was so excited she had stood up and slammed her hands on the table.

The blonde grinned. "Thanks, really."

"You know, I sort of enjoyed today; wait, no, I enjoyed _tonight_ a lot," Xion admitted, still smiling. "I've never had such fun on a date, I sort of forgot how good dates were like ever since I got this job."

"All the fancy dates and stuff?" Roxas asked, as he bit into his final scoop of mango pudding. He looked at his plate; a well-tossed salad with his very own dressing, a piece of chicken rib fried to sheer perfection, some potato salad, a small serving of fries, and some fruits topped off with mango pudding.

"Yeah. At first I loved all the dates, but then I remembered thinking that I had to raise my expectations if I wanted the column to be a smashing hit." Xion recalled, sighing at her memories. "Soon, all the good dates turned bad."

"The people sure love a good humiliation..." Roxas muttered, as he turned up the radio again. "You don't mind, right? I love some music."

As the music started to engulf the whole room, the blonde just watched as Xion finished her last bits of pudding.

_Just the other night  
I thought I heard you cry  
Asking me to come  
And hold you in my arms  
I can hear your prayers  
Your burdens I will bear  
But first I need your hand  
Then forever can begin_

_Everyday I sit and ask myself  
How did love slip away  
Something whispers in my ear and says..._

"It's a nice song," Xion commented, as she sipped a bit of her drink; plain, simple tea.

"Yeah..." Roxas murmured, and he looked at Xion, smoothing the fabric of her beanbag. "So, when was your best date?"

"Here," the female replied, and she grinned, "but that's not what you were looking for, right?"

"Obviously," the blonde said, and he leaned forward to Xion. "So tell me your best date other than this one right now."

Xion pursed her lips. "I don't have one," she said, and she leaned back in her beanbag, placing her hands on her lap, "but I _do _remember my _worst _one."

"The _worst _one?"

"Yeah," Xion sighed, and she smiled, "funny how we never remember the good things but always remember the bad ones better."

"Anyway," she continued, "my worst date...happened with a childhood friend. It was a _great _night that day, but it was the days that followed our date that were terrible."

"You know, if you don't wanna talk about it, it's okay," Roxas offered, as he stood up. He picked up all the plates and walked over to the kitchen, leaving Xion to her own thoughts.

"_Hey, Xion," he called out from the door, knocking on her door._

"_Coming!" she called out in response. She pranced to the door, and opened it._

"_Here for our second date, huh," he commented, as he strode into her apartment. He looked at it expectantly, before looking at Xion, "and I'm not surprised by your apartment."_

"_Thanks," Xion said, as the two sat down on the couch. She leaned on his shoulder comfortably, as they blindly watched a sappy love show together._

_Just being near each other was good enough._

_Or maybe it was just what she was thinking, not him._

"X-Xion? Y-You're _crying_! Oh, oh, _crap_, I am _so _sorry about _everything_, the food, and how you probably _forced _yourself to say nice things and stu-" Roxas started to blurt out everything that he found wrong about the date.

"I-I what?" Xion asked, and she touched her eyes, only to find her tears flowing down. She blinked at Roxas. "O-Oh, no, I loved your dinner, really! It's just...I was just reminded of something."

She stood up slowly, still sniffing. "I-I'll see you soon, Roxas. And I'm sorry, but I need to leave."

"S-Sure, of course," Roxas stammered, as he profusely apologised, over and over, for something he had no part in. He opened the door. "Do you need me to drive you back home?"

"N-No need, thanks," Xion whispered softly, and she wiped her face with her scarf. She squeezed Roxas' arm reassuringly. "It's nothing, really. Don't be so hard on yourself, okay, Roxas?"

Roxas took her coat gently, and helped her put it on, shivering at the cold wind. "You _sure_? I-I mean, I've been taking insults since I was young and-"

The female shook her head, and she leaned forward to give Roxas a quick peck on his cheek. She pulled out a scarf while he was still stunned by the kiss and wrapped it around Roxas' neck. Xion patted the scarf against Roxas' neck, murmuring, "Don't be so _panicked_, Roxas. You've got to relax a little. _Promise_ me that, okay?"

"S-Sure, okay..." the blonde stammered, his eyes widened.

"Good. Then I'll see you another day, okay?" Xion bade him farewell, before she strode off, in her confident manner.

"O-Okay, uh, _bye_, Miss Leonhart- I mean, uh, Xion...!" Roxas yelled back, and he touched his cheeks, blushing.

He staggered back to the living room, and he sunk down in his beanbag, looking at all the sketches. He pulled out the sketch of his mother, and he frowned.

"I haven't relaxed since _you _left, Mum," Roxas muttered, smiling bitterly as he traced the outline of her cheek.

Just then, Axel barged into the house. "Roxas, did you _rape _your first date out of your burst of hormones or something?" he demanded, smacking the back of Roxas' head. "Xion was in a bad shape when she left, y'know..."

"I didn't do that!" Roxas retorted, and he hastily tried placing the sketch back. Axel held back Roxas' arm, and he lazily pulled out the sketch. He looked at Roxas.

"Something wrong?" Axel asked, as he gently put back the sketch in its rightful place.

"I've been worrying too much, have I?" Roxas asked, as he plopped down on the couch. He moved part of his messy blonde bangs away. "Now I'm worrying about Xion, about Naminé, about what Xion _said_ about me worrying too much..."

The redhead rolled his eyes. "Obviously, most definitely the worrisome type."

He walked around the house, running his fingers through his red hair. "You've been taking things _too _seriously, really..."

Roxas sighed. "I guess so."

"But now that you mentioned it, what happened to Xion, huh?" Axel asked, as he turned to the blonde.

"She was alright...and then I walked out of the kitchen and saw her crying. That's all there is to it, really," Roxas explained, and he sighed again. "I hope she's okay..."


	4. Employment Woes

Xion walked into her apartment, sighing as she plopped down on her couch. She check her handbag for her phone; tons of e-mails to catch up on, a few messages from desperate guys who want a date with her...

"I didn't get Roxas' number..." Xion realised, and she sighed again.

She had a few things on her mind; Roxas was a major one. Then there was _him_, and Sam Rex's article. Xion also had to mention her date with Roxas; the paparazzi could've taken photos of her walking out of Roxas' apartment building or something. She had to mention it. The ethical journalist in her baulked at the thought of withholding information from the public, when it was right there in plain sight.

If she were to mention it, she would have to mention that it was the best date ever, which would mean a surge of interview appointments; everyone would be _dying _to find out who actually managed to _impress _Xion, and they probably wouldn't expect such a down-to-earth man who lives in some creepy place and works in some weird café.

And even if Xion doesn't mention it, what would Roxas think? She tried imagining him being angry at her; it didn't seem right and Xion decided to put it out of her head.

Sighing heavily, she flipped open her laptop (the one of the many gifts from men who didn't want to get embarrassed; this was her newest steal) and continued to type out her article.

_Yes, Sam Rex failed to impress. His attempt to pronounce my name in what seems to be a seductive manner fell flat when he pronounced my name with two syllables. Despite the fact that this 40-year-old restaurant manager had booked the entire restaurant for me, he made the restaurant seem dull, boring, and haunted. You know how, when you meet an ex, or someone you don't like, in a place? That place is going to painful to exist in, and that was exactly how I felt. Pained for my existence in that restaurant when I could be out scarfing down tender chicken. Yum._

_Since we're on food now, the dinner was lavish, but not to my taste. Too much seafood; it's terrible for my health. And I had tea, tea and more tea for my drink. Definitely not the way to go, since I prefer a nice variety. Of all the teas in the world that entice the senses and the heart, why give me this one particular tea for two hours?_

_Personality-wise, Sam Rex was like an actor, trying to make it big on the Gentleman Awards. Result? Nominations for all the Razzie Awards. I have never heard of a gentleman who leaves his date in the cold, cold streets of the late afternoons. In cases like these, it is an unspoken rule of mine to always have my car. Without it, the headlines would probably be 'The Love Critic dies from frost bite after date dumps her on street', end quote._

_But, despite such a major failure of a date, I was pleasantly surprised and pleased at night by the best date I have ever been on. I feel like an excited schoolgirl, just thinking about it. A self-confessed mango lover called me up soon after that._

_Too polite at first; he referred to me as 'Ms Leonhart', which definitely caught me off guard. Usually all men would immediately try to be ridiculously casual with me, but he was the one exception. And then, our initial venue was closed off to the public, so he improvised by inviting me over to his place. It was run-down, but nevertheless cozy (and not spooky) and comfortable._

_I had a special, home-cooked dinner that made every other dinner at fancy restaurants look bad. And mind you, he happens to be a simple cook at a café that no one knows about. _

_I shall not delve into this particular date, but I'd be delighted to date him once more._

She saved the document, and closed her laptop, closing her eyes. "I'll have to edit it tomorrow..." Xion muttered, and she looked at her apartment drearily again. Dust. Dirt. It needed cleaning.

Xion walked into the huge kitchen that she never used. She opened the fridge, and looked through her food items. Expired, expired, smells bad...

And then, an idea hit her. It was _perfect_. She'd have a companion of some sort, the place would be clean, and Xion could do her work peacefully.

She'd employ someone.

* * *

_Looking for someone who can keep secrets, guard the house, clean the house and all the other housekeeping things. Must be honest. Contact for more information and arrange an appointment with Mr Sora Hayden for an interview before getting the job._

* * *

Roxas Strife looked at the classified ads, flipping through the pages lazily. Axel was spinning on the new chairs Marluxia bought for the café.

"Look, Roxas!" Axel squealed in delight, "it makes Alice's hair swish around!" He flicked his lighter to prove his point. He spun around in the chair, and the flame swished about.

"Axel, you're gonna ruin the chair. Again." The blonde adjusted the sheets of the newspapers, shaking his head. He was in the couch, with his very own brewed mango tea, with a few cubes of ice.

"Well, we can just say that the chairs are screwed up. Or just _burn _the evidence at home," Axel replied nonchalantly, before he lit up at his own idea. "Actually, let's just stick with the second plan. Help me get the first one in the car, before Marluxia sees us!"

He smirked and scrutinised his lighter in glee. "Alice, this is your first major job, babe."

"Axel," Roxas murmured, not looking up, "you can't burn a chair with Alice. You'll contribute to global warming."

"The world's not hot enough. I need _fire_, man. The global society should be pyromaniacs so they wouldn't need to save the earth," Axel remarked lazily, as he pocketed his lighter.

"You can't say that. What about the polar bears, huh?"

"...Oh, yeah. Didn't think about those chubby lil' things."

Roxas just rolled his eyes and continued scanning the ads.

"Contact Sora Hayden at this number..." Roxas muttered under his breath, and he picked up his phone. He dialled the number provided.

_Heeeello? Sora Hay- I mean, uh, MR Hayden here. _A giggle. _Can I help you?_

"Uh, hi," Roxas started, and he gulped. "I'm Roxas Strife, calling about that job in th-"

_Oh. My. Gosh. Roxas Strife? Seriously? _A pause, and a bit of a scuffle on the other line which involved Sora screaming "I _clearly _wanted a latte!" to someone. _Oh, my gosh, it's you! Xion's been babbling so much about you; I just had to meet you, and currently I'm supposed to be searching for your number in the Yellow Pages, but turns out that you called me up instead! It has to be fate! _

"Uh...nice to meet you too, Mr Hayden," Roxas answered back, as he looked around the area. Okay, no cameras, paparazzi, or a hot red Ferrari stalking him. He heaved a sigh of relief as Sora continued to talk.

_Exactly what Xion said about you! You're too polite, man. Just call me Sora! Seriously, okay? Since we're the same age. You're a year older than Xion, right?_

"She's 23, and I'm 24."

_Yeah, duh! So, how did you get this number, huh?_

Roxas blinked. "Uh...I'm here for the ad you placed in the newspaper. You needed a bodyguard and a housekeeper all in one?"

_Oh, that? Okay, you got the job. Seriously. You are perfect for the job, man. Okay, just meet me later at...say, 5pm? Wait, you know what? I'll just pick you up, okay? You work at The Oblivion Café right? Okay, sure, man. Buhbye!_

_Bleeeeep._

Axel watched Roxas closely as the blonde placed down the phone and folded back the newspapers. "So...how was the dude?"

"Uh...he sounds..." Roxas paused for a word, "…unique."

"No wonder he needed a bodyguard. And a housekeeper. He may burn himself while putting things in the _fridge_," Axel remarked sarcastically, before he lit up again, "but on second thought, that's sort of nice. Don't go for the job interview, Roxy. Just let him _burn _next to the fridge."

Roxas shook his head. "Crazy pyromaniac," he muttered, before he realised that he didn't need an interview, "but Axel, I already _got _the job."

"...Really?" Axel asked incredulously, before he widened his eyes. He jumped off his turning chair and hugged Roxas tightly, lifting him up and swishing the blonde's body left and right. "Oh, _Roxy_, that's _great_! My little boy, growing up! This is a cause for _celebration_, babe! Let's _burn _this place upside down and inside out til Marluxia dies just by seeing it!"

"...We still need this job, Axel, if we want some form of money for ourselves..." Roxas reminded, once Axel stopped swinging him around.

The redhead put him down, ruffling the blonde's head. "Fine, so we _won't _burn the place down. We'll ju- woah, check out that grey Porsche with that man who's staring at your _butt_, Roxas!"

Axel pointed blatantly at a brunette in a grey Porsche, supposedly leering at Axel and Roxas. The blonde whipped around in horror, only to be staring right at the brunette, who waved his hand cheekily.

The man gingerly got out of the car, slammed the door shut and locked the car. He tried to toss his keys in a cool manner but ended up dropping it. He looked around the area, hoping that no one but Axel and Roxas saw his terrible move. Then, he quickly ran into the café.

"Yo. Are you gay?" Axel immediately asked, as he walked over to the counter, "And what can I get for you? You know, just _taking_ your cash out of your hands."

The brunette beamed. "Oh, yes, I do have money to spare for some food!"

Axel nodded his head. "Honest _and _rich. An interesting, yet dangerous combination."

Roxas scowled at him. "Don't be _rude_, Axel!"

"Couldn't help it."

The blonde turned to the brunette. "So, how may I help y-"

"Oh, you _do _have shiny eyes!" he gasped out in awe, as he leaned uncomfortably closer to Roxas' face. "And a cute nose, too."

"Uh..._thank you_?" Roxas offered nervously, obviously freaked out by a rich, random brunette staring at him right in the face and calling his nose _cute_.

The man slouched backwards slightly. "Sorry, must've _freaked _you out a little, huh?" He let out a high-pitched laugh that made Roxas shudder. "I'm Sora."

"M-Mr Hayden- I mean, oh, _Sora_?" Roxas blurted out, widening his eyes. He jerked his head at the clock, then back to Sora. "You're early! W-We promised to meet at 5, right? Why the _heck _are you here 4 hours earlier than our appointed time? D-Did I get the time wrong or something? Oh crap, I was supposed to go home and get changed and look neat and take a bath and then come meet you at the café like, 4 hours from now! Oh, crap, I look like _cr-_"

"You look _fine_," Sora assured, and he slapped Roxas' shoulder in glee, "and you're _perfect _for the job, really. Oh, I was dreading a whole day of interviews, since there were like, tons of calls coming in. But then I got yours, and I just cancelled all the interviews tomorrow! So, yay! I get a free day because of you!"

Sora then proceeded to take Roxas' hand, and dragged him out of the café to his car. "I'll drop Roxas off at his place later, okay?" he called out to Axel.

"Have fun kidnapping Roxas, Mr Rich Kidnapper, sir! And have a _jolly _good time raping my little blonde!" Axel called back, chuckling as though Naminé was the one dragging Roxas. _Completely _innocent.

"So...what sort of job will I be doing?" Roxas asked, looking at Sora, who was yanking out his maroon tie in frustration.

"Uh, I..._think_ you have to follow people around, cook, clean, keep the house nice and tidy...the usual things a maid and bodyguard hybrid does." Sora scratched his head, laughing nervously. "I think."

Roxas blinked. "You're my _employer_, so _you _should know what I'm supposed to do!"

"Employer? Goodness, no, I think Kairi cooks good enough!" Sora laughed. "No, I'm not your employer! Just...a middleman."

"So...you're saying that you don't _know _what I'm supposed to _do_?" the blonde asked in horror, ignoring what Sora said. He leaned slightly away from the clueless brunette. If this dude hired Roxas for his own sick mind, then at least Roxas would have a minor advantage, being so close to the door.

"No! I'm bringing you right now to your employer, if that helps. And no,

Roxas relaxed, just a little bit. Sora noticed, and he laughed, rubbing the blonde's shoulder reassuringly. "Relax, Roxas, it'll all be okay! Take it easy, ease up, and enjoy some music!"

He flipped on the radio. "-fire has started in a suburb just a few minutes ago. We're still trying to find the culprit, but for now, we know that a man in his late twenties started it..."

Roxas widened his eyes at the news. "Oh, crap, that dude could be Axel! Damn, Sora, take me back!"

Sora gulped, and he hastily switched off the radio. "Okay, no relaxing by radio. You just call Axel, and he'd be _alright_. Sheesh."

As Roxas quickly dialled Axel's number, Sora shook his head in amusement. _Uptight, man._

_Dude, that guy's a genius, man! Roxas, can I just leave the café and join in the fun there?_

"If you _ever _do that, I'm gonna rip your pyromaniac head out and shred it!" Roxas yelled into the phone, before he angrily hung up the phone. Then, he breathed in and exhaled deeply, still seething.

"Chill a bit, Roxas," Sora remarked, as he drove into a parking lot beside a three-storey apartment. It was pure white, with little daisies and flowers and greenery running along the perimeter of the house. There was a transparent wall that showed the sofa and a few square-shaped ponds of water dotting the entrance. The living area was slightly alleviated to maintain a large pond with a few plants floating about it, as seen from the transparent wall.

From the wall, there was a spiral staircase that stopped at both floors. The entire apartment was carpeted.

"Wait, woah, _this _is where you _live _in?" Roxas yelled out in excitement, as he forgot his worries and bolted out of the door to look at the building. Then, he froze. "Wait, am I supposed to _clean_ this place?"

Sora grinned. "Maybe. We'll see. C'mon, let's meet your _employer_, okay?"

The brunette dragged the blonde forcefully to the door. "Okay, tell you what," Sora instructed, chuckling, "you go stand behind the wall there. I'll talk to your _employer_."

Roxas looked at him curiously, but suddenly he had this strange feeling that the mysterious _employer _and Sora would be talking money, money and more money, which Roxas didn't want to here. He just wanted to earn money and leave with it. It was money, or _no _money, and he'd go for the former, no matter how much it is.

Or how _little _it is.

"Pssst!" Sora hissed through the door, until he remembered the soundproofing recently, so he rang the doorbell eagerly. Becoming slightly impatient after a split second, he rang it again and again and ag-

"_What_?" Xion yanked open the door, and glared at Sora.

"Shush!" Sora hissed back, and he walked into the safety of soundproofing. When he was inside, and when Xion shut the door, Sora grinned. "I got you the most _perfect _guy for your job! You're gonna _love _it, Xion!"

The raven-haired lady looked at Sora, and then looked at her flannel shirt and sweatpants. "I need to change first."

"No, you _don't_!" Sora assured, as he opened the door. "He's gonna be _very _calm and mature about how you look, because frankly, I think he just wants the job. And I think he's gonna be fine."

The brunette yanked open the door, and pinched Roxas, causing the blonde to jump. "Come on in, hurry!"

"Okay, oka- oh, my _gosh_," Roxas exclaimed in shock.

Xion froze, and she turned around to meet the man she had just blindly employed. "_Roxas_?"


	5. Bloody Triumph

"Uh..." Xion kicked aside everything, until she realised that she had shoved and piled up everything. Then, she hastily picked everything up and dumped them all in the laundry. And then she continued, "here's my home..."

Roxas just gaped in awe. "It's _huge_! It's like the home I'll never have!" He ran about, looking at the carpet lining the perimeter. "Woah, I thought the entire _mansion_ was carpeted! Heh, seems that you prefer marble floors!"

Ignoring the stacks of paper, dirty laundry hanging on the couch, dust flying across the initially white marble door, he ran around the place like a little child in a huge room full of toys. He was about to jump onto the sofa when he stopped. The blonde instead shuffled to the sofa, and sat down gently, crossing his legs in an attempt to look in the least bit classy, in his café apron, a black polo and red jeans. He had his cap in his back pocket.

Xion gulped at the horrendous scene; Roxas completely oblivious to the state of the house, Roxas _thinking _that the house was a mansion. The house that he was supposedly hired to clean. How could she ever force such a terrible task to such a nice young man like him?

"Uh, Roxas?" Sora called meekly, as he walked into the house, "you're supposed to clean this place up for Xion, you know. As her employee...and stuff."

_Right, of course, why didn't I think of letting Sora force the task on Roxas unintentionally while I stay here in this lovely spot of the house wallowing in my horrible guilt?!_

The blonde nodded his head. "Yeah, I sort of know that." Roxas glanced at Xion, who was still there wallowing in her guilt. "No worries, it's just like _my _apartment!"

"But much _bigger_," Sora pointed out bluntly, "and you don't have any help."

_Way to go, Sora! Being oh-so insensitive towards Roxas and telling him oh-so nonchalantly that he has to clean up the whole damn three-storey apartment by himself! Great, just fantastic._

"Yeah, I...sort of knew that, too," Roxas admitted, and he laughed, "but I don't get any help from Axel, either. And I've done larger areas before."

"Really?" Xion probed, widening her eyes at the blonde working his cute lil' blonde head off mopping floors and doing dishes. "When?"

"I go around knocking on doors and cleaning up their apartments on alternate Sundays. Sometimes, on a good day and just after a holiday like Christmas, I clean up to...say, twenty apartments?" Roxas shrugged, as though the task was like eating _mango_ ice cream and finishing it happily even though he'd just stuffed himself ten-fold full with a twenty-course dinner. Easy, maneagable, and _fun_.

"Oh." Xion said, in a tone that screamed 'oh-my-gosh-is-that-a-new-trend-that-I-don't-know-about-but-I'm-just-gonna-act-like-I-know-all-about-it'.

"So..." Roxas looked around, grinning, "where do I start?"

Sora shrugged. "The floor. I can't see my reflection on _this_..." He looked at Xion. "Why _can't _we see our reflections?"

Xion took that as a direct insult. "Ex_cuse _me, but I _happen _to be _so _busy, I just need the apartment for sleeping."

The brunette rolled his eyes. "Okay, I'll accept that..."

Roxas looked at the floor, and then he looked around. "Where's the mop? And I need a bucket and some water and _tons _of soap."

"Uh..." _This is so embarrassing. _"I don't _have _any of those things."

The two men stared at the female. "Not even ordinary _soap_?" Sora asked in horror.

"I _do _have soap; what are you trying to imply, huh?" Xion retorted, scowling. "That I don't even _bathe_?"

"Um...Xion, remember the way back to the café?" Roxas asked, as he picked up all of her laundry scattered carelessly on the floor. "Because...we _should _have some mops back there. And a bucket."

"What about soap?" Sora piqued sarcastically, and he snickered. "Okay, whatever."

Xion ignored him. "Sure. I'll just drive over to The Oblivion Café and-"

Roxas rummaged through his pocket and tossed Xion his car keys. "Here, Xion, you'll need these if you don't want any suspicious people snooping around while you get the mop and bucket."

"R-Right," Xion nodded in agreement, and she walked to the door. Sora followed suit. "Um, Sora, what are you doing?"

The brunette grinned sheepishly. "I need to pick up Kairi for our dinner today," he explained, as he pulled open the door, "and a man shouldn't be late, right?"

Xion smiled and muttered, "Your girlfriend."

"Well, _yeah_. Who do you think I am; Sora the _gay_?"

Roxas turned his back on the two at the door and sniggered to himself. Boy, wait til Axel hears about this...

..._Axel_!

"W-Wait, Xion!" Roxas yelled, almost tripping. "Tell Axel _not _to do anything stupid at home...okay?"

Xion cocked her head, and then she grinned. "Sure, okay. And...I trust that you wouldn't steal anything here and bail on me?"

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "I-I didn't even _think_ about that...and obviously I won't. Since...I may get lost in this _huge _place."

"Okay, and...I just subscribed to the cooking channel, so you can watch some cooking shows if you want," Xion offered sweetly, before she laughed at Roxas' bewildered face. "okay, fine, kidding, kidding! But I really _have _the cooking channel."

Finally, she turned around, only to find that Sora had honked his way out of the entrance of her sprawling _mansion_ (as Roxas put it) and had driven away in his Porsche.

"Uh...is that a sign for you to get going?" Roxas asked meekly, shuffling about. "I-It's getting late...and I have to be back by 9 before Axel comes back."

"Okay, then," Xion replied, smiling, "see you!"

The door shut, and Roxas soon found himself racing to the couch to watch the cooking channel.

* * *

_Ding dooong._

Roxas jumped up in the couch. "Didn't Xion bring her keys?" he muttered to himself. He took a final glance at the show, switched it off, and walked over to open the door.

"Xio- oh, uh, hi," Roxas smiled nervously at who was _supposed _to be Xion, but turned out to be a man with pale blue hair that reached his shoulders. He was wearing a simple suit, though it showed his buff form quite easily.

The man narrowed his eyes at the blonde. "And _you _are?"

"U-Uh, I'm Rox-"

"No, no," he interrupted rudely, shaking his head, "I mean _what _are _you _doing _here _for?"

Roxas scowled at this bulky man who seemed to loom over Roxas even though the man was almost as tall as him. "Excuse me, but I happen to have a _name_, you know!"

The man shook his head drearily, like he just saw a speck of dust on his lovely Italian shoes. "Still not answering the question..." he muttered in a falsetto singsong voice that made Roxas want to ram his head into a wall repeatedly.

"_Fine_! I'm here as a bodyguard and housekeeper...uh, person hybrid...thingy." Roxas muttered, seemingly embarrassed at his title.

The man raised his eyebrow again. "You mean she gave you the job _already_?"

"Um...yeah, I believe _so_!" And Roxas felt like adding 'Mr FancyPants!' but he didn't, since he'd seem like Axel.

"Interesting. Usually Xion would employ people only after a week." He examined Roxas closely, before he flicked his hair. Roxas whiffed a bit of the sort of shampoo Axel would hate ("Dammit, Roxas, they're selling those _pink _shampoo again! Ugh, get me outta here, man! Too much pink!" Axel would scream in horror at little girls promoting shampoo) The man continued, despite noticing a smug smile on the blonde's face. "Anyway, I'm Riku Kisagi, CEO of Kisagi Holdings." He flashed a ha-ha-you-stink-and-I-rock sort of smile, and pulled out a name card. "And I believe that Xion Leonhart is expecting me."

Roxas was about to let this fancy man in, but he decided against it. "Sorry, Mr Kisagi, but I don't think Ms Leonhart mentioned any of this to me, so I think it'd be better if you just wait outside until she comes back."

"Oh, I don't think so, Roxas," Riku muttered, as he boldly shoved Roxas aside, causing him to fall off the porch and into a bush. He walked in, dumping his _fancy _briefcase that he enjoyed flaunting so much.

"_Hey_!" Roxas yelled, as he hastily crawled back on the porch, and he stormed back into Xion's house. "You can't just _push _people off porches and _then _happily dump your _stupid _suitcase on the floor and enter the house!"

"Of course I can't," Riku replied calmly, as he looked around the house in distaste, "but I can always push _you _off porches."

"Then I can do _this_!" The blonde kicked down the suitcase, which spilled its contents out. Papers, notes and...

"Ew, _porn _magazines?!" Roxas yelled out in horror, and he stared at Riku. "What, are you here to _rape _her or something?!"

Riku chortled. "To be fairly honest, _yeah_." He looked at Roxas curiously. "So what do you have to say?"

"I-I-" Roxas stammered. He had apparently let a smart-looking _rapist _enter the home of The Love Critic, and now he was there sitting on the couch looking at Roxas in an odd manner. "-am gonna call the police and then I'll kick you out and I'll call Xion and maybe I'll murder you but I'll have to think about that and mayb-"

Riku laughed. "Loosen up, Roxas. It's fine. Besides, she _needs _this from me."

"S-She _what_?!"

"I happen to be her boyfriend," Riku answered, and he smirked, "so seeing that her car was in, I decided to drop by for some _fun_."

"W-What?!" Roxas widened his eyes in horror. "How the _heck _do you stay so calm even though she dates men every other day?! Aren't you jealous or something?!"

"Jealousy is for fools like you," he replied.

"You heartless _jerk_!" Roxas was about to lunge for him when both Xion and Axel appeared at the door.

"Roxas!" Axel yelled out, and ran over to hug Roxas senseless. "I have Alice; we'll go burn this house and then we don't need to clean it up toget- woah, you _finally _took advantage of your age and bought _these_? Man, you're growing up so fast...and your hormones, too..." He pointed at the said items.

"_Axel_!"

"Riku, get _out _of here," Xion instructed calmly, as she pulled out her cellphone, "or I'll call the police on you."

"C'mon, _Xion_," Riku cooed, walking over to her side. The female flinched and took a step back beside Roxas. He continued speaking, "you _know _you need me."

"I _don't_; now get out of here!" Xion yelled, her voice firmer now. "I already _banned_ you from _ever_ coming again."

Riku shook his head, ignoring her. "I heard that you had what seemed to be your _best _date just last night, am I correct?"

Xion glared at him. "Yes. It far surpasses _your_ date with me."

"And the person you dated..." Riku smiled when she narrowed her eyes at him, "...that man happens to be your _housekeeper bodyguard_?"

Roxas scowled at him. "Yeah, I a- mfffh!" Before he could continue, Axel had cupped his hand over his mouth. When the blonde tried to struggle, Axel just gave him his _serious_ look.

Xion looked at Roxas, who was screaming muffled language in Axel's gloved hand. His eyes widened even harder at Xion.

The female simply frowned at him. "So what if he _is _my best date, huh?"

"I see. Well, take care, _Xion_," Riku whispered in her ear, as he breezed past her, "since I already have all the information I need."

"W-What information?" Xion blurted out.

The man simply chuckled, not bothering to give an answer. He walked past Xion, towards Axel and Roxas, both glaring at him.

He looked at Axel and Roxas, the latter trying to kick Riku. "See you _very _soon, Roxas."

The redhead glared at him, and then scowled when Riku didn't bother to bid him farewell. It was called _manners_. "Roxas," Axel murmured, "go rip his freakin' head off, please."

The blonde was about to oblige when he stopped. "No thanks."

"Okay, then. I'll do the freakin' _honours_," Axel hissed, before he attacked Riku by tackling him from behind. The two men rolled out of the door, over the porch and onto the grass patch next to Roxas' run-down vehicle.

Axel obviously gained an upperhand, since he started jabbing Riku with his lighter, screaming, "Go Alice!" Riku, being the rich man with no need for a lighter, struggled to no avail.

"Hah! Your abs are for _nothing_, babe!" Axel screeched, as he finally pinned Riku face down to the ground. "You can't even beat _Axel _and his lovely assistant _Alice_!"

Riku smirked, as he gasped for breath (seeing that Axel had pinned Riku by sitting on his back and placing one lazy hand on his neck), shaking his head slowly. "You forgot something, you (bleep!)ing (bleep!)head."

And before Roxas, Axel or Xion could react accordingly, Riku had pulled out a Swiss Army kinfe and had stabbed the side of Axel's stomach, causing everyone to freeze.

The redhead fell over, clutching the wound in agony. Riku spat some of his soil-filled saliva right at Axel. "_This_ is why we have a _distinction _between the rich and the others," he hissed, kicking Axel lightly. He fell over, groaning.

"The rich are smart people who use their intelligence to their advantage. The others, such as yourself, attempt to use brute force and brash strength to fight their way up. But in the end, it all boils down to sheer intelligence." He looked at Xion, and then back at Roxas, who had already rushed over to Axel's side. "And that is why, in the end, I will be the one who will end up with Xion."

Roxas clenched his fist tightly. He pulled off his apron and tried to stop the bleeding. "Shut _up_!" he yelled angrily. "If this is a _joke_, then we're not laughing, because my _friend_ got hurt, you _airhead_! And what the _heck _are you talking about?!"

"I'm simply implying that," and Riku smirked at Roxas, "if you don't want to end up like your _friend _over there, then I suggest you back off from Xion."

Xion pointed a shaky finger at him. "Y-You _stabbed _Axel! H-He was _innocent_! D-Don't bring Roxas and A-Axel into this!" She narrowed her eyes. "This is just between the _both _of us!"

Roxas glared at Riku, as he helped Axel up. "You're treating Xion like your _daughter_! You can't restrict someone who _hates _you!"

Riku shook his head. "She's _mine_, after all. Anyway, I must leave right now, so I'll leave you to be." He strode off, hopped into his car, and drove off.

* * *

"Axel, you okay?" Roxas asked meekly, as the redhead got up wearily. He looked around the room and groaned.

"W-What's wrong?!" the blonde asked, widening his eyes. "I-Is it cold? Too warm? Too weird? Too hard pillow? Ugly nurse treating you?! I got the nicest nurse I could lure! A-And-"

"Aw, crap," Axel moaned, "I dropped Alice back at Xion's place!"

Roxas smacked his forehead and looked at Axel incredulously. "You were stabbed and yet you're worrying about your _lighter_? Ugh, I can't _believe _you, Axel!"

Axel shrugged. He leaned back in the bed triumphantly. "Hey, I was wearing my new underwear today. It's kinda thick so I don't think the wound was _that_ bad, y'kn-"

"He stabbed you in the _stomach_, you stupid pyromaniac. No underwear can protect you." And upon hearing that line from Roxas, Xion started to giggle, and then she burst out laughing spontaneously.

"...Oh." It was only then that Axel realised that Xion was behind Roxas.

"Anyway," Roxas started, "I just finished a call with Naminé, so she should be coming from Twilight Art Academy in half an ho-"

"_Axel_!" Naminé burst into the room, huffing madly. She stumbled over to Axel's bedside. "You okay, Axy?"

"Yup, Nami, I'm in the _peachy _pink of healt- argh!" He wailed as he clutched his stomach, before he slowly sat back down in the hospital bed. He gave her a weak smile and an even weaker thumbs-up. "_Peachy _pink."

"You're such an irony," Naminé chided, clucking her tongue, before she practically pounced on Axel and hugged him, "but that's just the way I like y- ohmy_gosh_!"

She hopped off the bed, and stumbled over to Xion. "Is this T-The _Love Critic _here right in front of my _eyes_?"

Before Xion could reply, Naminé had taken her hand, and had started to shake it wildly with much rigour. "Hi, I'm Naminé and as you know behind me is my _incredibly _handsome and nice and sweet and considerate _single _big brother, Roxas! He's sweet and blonde and cares a lot about girls like me and maybe you and he likes animals and makes good food and cleans well and smell wel-"

"Don't be such a pushover, Nami!" Roxas cried out, obviously embarrassed. "You make me sound like the perfect husband!"

"Of _course _you are!" Naminé retorted, as she nudged Xion happily. "So whaddya say, huh, Xion? How about you date my big brother?!"

"I...already did."

Naminé looked at Xion, and then back at Roxas. Then, she tackled Roxas. "Why didn't you _tell _me about the date, huh?"

"I-It was _yesterday_, Nami!" Roxas whined. Axel sniggered.

Xion spoke up. "It was the best date I ever had, Naminé."

The blonde female just squealed. "Awesome!"

Axel rolled his eyes. "Hey, hey, c'mon, _I _want some attention too!"

Roxas sighed, and he reluctantly pulled out a familiar lighter and tossed it to Axel, who squealed like Naminé a moment ago. "Here's Alice. Knock yourself out."

Axel was about to ram Alice onto his forehead when Roxas yelled at him, "Not in the _literal _sense!"

Naminé and Xion exchanged glances and laughed. Roxas started to laugh as well, and Axel started laughing too, muttering in between breaths, "C'mon, Alice, laugh for me!"

* * *

After Xion dropped off Naminé at the dormitories of Twilight Art Academy, she had to ferry Roxas back to her place (since Roxas forgot about his vehicle in the stabbing incident) and then decide her dinner.

It got less awkward after Naminé stepped out, so Xion had some time (half an hour) to talk to Roxas. "Sorry about today," she apologised, once she started to drive.

Roxas smiled at her. It was the warmest smile ever directed at her. Full of genuine feelings and warmt- "No problem. It's not your fault..." he interrupted her train of thoughts unassumingly.

"Oh, Roxas, it _is _my fault," she said, sighing sadly, "because of Riku's involvement with me."

"And...I'm guessing he was your _worst _date?" Roxas guessed, smiling again.

"Yeah, but back then..." Xion trailed off, and she smiled sadly at the steering wheel before her, "...it was the _best_."

"Ah, okay," Roxas nodded his head sympatically, "I get it."

The two fell into silence. _Oh, Roxas, _Xion thought, _how I wish I could tell you everything._

_But now's not the time._

"Hey, Xion," Roxas started, grinning at her, "do you want some Roxas Special for dinner again? We're having mango pudding again!" He scratched his head. "I bought them for Axel and myself, but since Axel's in the hospital, I was thinking that you could come along!"

Xion laughed. "Of course. My stomach's ready for it!"

_And...I know that time will come. Eventually.

* * *

_

**Done. Okay. This is my final chapter and final update for ALL my fanfictions. So...I'll stop updating from tomorrow? Since my mum started chiding me for growing my butt to large propotions by sitting here in my chair. And since I 'have no determination'. Right. Just wait for it, man. I'm gonna come back to happy, and get my results and come back even happier! I wouldn't repeat what happened in my previous major exam. Nuh-uh, gonna ACE THAT FREAKIN' O LEVELS! Wish me luck! And a Happy New Year! :D **

**On a lighter note, this was the first document to be typed out in a hotel room. Now that I'm back in Singapore, yay! :D I think I'll continue to check my mail for any reviews, and reply them during the weekends. I won't read, write. So if you see an update before October 2010, FLAME ME REAL BAD! I think I'll update my profile once in a while if I'm bored to update my status (bored, dead, tired, brain dead...) and update any stories on my mind (which I may never write) and...maybe I'll start a PRIVATE BLOG! :D Woohoo for privacy! **

**So...uh, so long, fa- NOOOOO! -cries and hugs in a dramatic fashion- GOODBYEEEE T.T**

**LILMISSS.**


	6. Aftermath

Axel was wailing, Roxas was under his usual panic attack (he was not exactly diagnosed, but Axel 'didn't need to pay doctor to tell me what _I _know') and well, all hell was breaking loose.

"Where is ALICE?" he cried out, grabbing at the nurses who struggled to shove him back into the stretcher.

"Don't hurt him!" Roxas cried out, as he rummaged his bag for the lighter, or rather his keys to the car, because as far as he could recall in his mad rush to the hospital at 2am, he had _not _packed the lighter.

The blonde had no idea how Axel managed to convince (or assault) the nurse in such a way that now, ten nurses were attending to him and the hospital allowed Roxas in at such an ungodly hour.

"Who's Alice?" a voice called out.

Axel paused in his thrashing and blinked. "My lighter," he replied, in the most ordinary tone he could ever muster (for Axel was well, _un_-ordinary) as though naming your lighter Alice was the most natural thing in the world next to breathing.

What no one expected was that, in the midst of the moment of calm, a nurse had injected (shoved would've been a better word) a drug into Axel's veins, and miraculously, Axel was soon asleep.

When Axel fell back into his pillow, all the nurses high-fived each other, and hurried Roxas away.

* * *

"Stupid redhead," Roxas muttered, as he drove cautiously through the streets. The dim light did not help in his driving, and the fact that he was drowsy, exhausted and whacked silly by Axel ("You _totally _have to get my babe! _Seriously_!" and later "_Duuuuuuude_ how could you? She needs a night light, dammit!" followed by "In my will, I am _never _giving you Alice. Horrible husband you'd make!")

And then, he saw a brunette, hobbling across the street. She stumbled a little here, and then she fell forward. Roxas panicked, and slammed hard on the brakes.

Despite the fact that he saved a stranger, he could not say otherwise for his car. It slammed right into a lamp post, damaging the front of it. And before he could protest, the brunette had happily stumbled into his car.

She tried to speak, but her speech was slurred. Roxas gripped the steering wheel harder at the stench of alcohol; what if she tried to _rape_ him or something?

"Uh…excuse me?" Roxas asked, trying to be as polite as possible. "Um, miss?"

The brunette took a glance at him, her eyes bloodshot and her hair in a mess. She tilted her head at him, before breaking into a goofy grin.

"Drive…Drive _away _from here…heheeee…" she slurred and giggled.

Roxas paused. What if she was a psycho murderer? He cursed himself for not listening to the news about some murderer on the loose, roaming the streets and decapitating people against their will (that was redundant, but _still_)

He weighed his options. If he said no, and drove off, it wouldn't be nice, and this brunette here may choose to kill herself by making herself road kill. By not doing so, Roxas could also be murdered by a drunken psycho woman for disobeying her.

She was still giggling. Roxas shuddered. He didn't move, until he thought about it.

How hard can it be to drive a female murderer around?

Yes, yes, Roxas thought, and he slowly started the car, watching as the remnants of the front of the car clattered on the road. He would claim it from her later.

Just then, the brunette murderer hiccupped. "Cha-hic-ffeur…" And then something snapped inside her, for she exclaimed, "CHAFFEUR! Hic! Fufufunneh word, eh?" She slapped Roxas on his back, causing him to flinch.

And if it didn't make the situation worse, she continued babbling. "Why is it even called chaf-chaffeur _anyway_? I mean like _helloooo _we do _not _like being confused I mean, English is so so so so –"

With that, her head slumped back, her hand still in mid-air, with her index pointing upwards as though she was trying to make a point.

Roxas looked at her and groaned. He couldn't call Naminé or someone; it was 2AM! He considered putting her by the roadside, but he decided against it (what if she was sober enough to notice his car plate number?) so he drove her to his house instead.

"What is your _naammmeee_?" Roxas asked, making sure that he said them slowly enough to understand.

The brunette jerked back, laughed, and just when Roxas thought that she was just stark raving mad, she whacked him behind the head and glared at him.

"I am _noooo…_" and she wagged her finger, pressing it against Roxas' nose, "_idiot_."

And then she continued. "Youuu don't take me like a _fool _you epic _dummeh_, 'cause I _happen _to be a _celebretee_ okay?"

Roxas took one good hard look at her. Emerald eyes peeking out of her curls and her smile lopsided and twisted in an unimaginable way. Bloodshot eyes, make-up smeared…he didn't think she'd pull off as one.

"SO!" The murderer-like lady spoke, "take me to your _humble_ abode!"

"…My _what_?"

"Your home- wooooooopsie doo, sorry, I don't speak simple simple mimple English so very very sorry."

Roxas, after imagining what would happen if he didn't (blood, a trial and Axel as a witness which would secure Axel's place behind bars because he'd be stupid enough to make himself guilty of murder) decided to take her there. "Okay."

Besides, dying at home would be better. He preferred choosing his own deathbed.

Or maybe…

"And some ketchuuuup on top pleaseeeeee," was her eager response as Roxas shakily drove her away.

* * *

Xion was sleeping blissfully. Her life was officially in order again, since now she had more dates coming from overly pompous men who would die without an ego, and she was no longer bothered with her after-meal snacks, because in exchange for paying for Axel's hospital bills, Roxas would cook something up for her.

And then, she heard a clatter of metal outside her house. It was not normal to hear something, or _anything _at all, since her house was nestled in the middle of nowhere.

Someone rang the bell, and the first word that popped into Xion's mind was naturally 'Stalker'.

She refused to answer the door, and quietly she crawled into the kitchen, replenished with utensils from Roxas' house (and part of her money), picking out a metal frying pan from the rack. She chose the largest one, and then she positioned herself at the door.

Xion pressed her ear to the door.

"XION!" Roxas yelled.

The drunk woman was on his back (what if she escaped on his car…or worse, rammed into him?) , and he struggled to hold her while maintaining an iron grip on her arms (what if she tried to strangle him?). She started to belt out songs that didn't make sense (he heard 'oranges are greaaaat' and he decided so) and when Roxas didn't respond, she started singing (screaming) into his ears.

Frantically, he tried to knock with one arm, but he could not do so when the brunette was using his arm as some form of lasso. So he resorted to using his forehead to knock on the door.

Was that Roxas? The voice, the mass of blonde she saw through the peephole…but what was that brown thing?

She yanked open the door, much to Roxas' relief and horror, when he fell facefirst onto the marble floor. The brunette stood up, holding on to the door frame for support. She looked Xion up and down, gave a slight whistle, and looked at the frying pan.

"That fer me?"

"Uh…"

"Thanks, lady," she said, and she yanked the frying pan out of her hands, causing it to fly into Roxas' head and proceeded to throw up in it. The blonde at Xion's feet groaned and grasped his forehead tightly, once again in pain.

* * *

When Xion finally convinced the brunette to sleep on the sofa (with the frying pan hastily washed and placed next to the brunette in case) she pulled up a chair for Roxas and made him some coffee.

"_Coffee_? At 4 in the morning?" he asked incredulously.

"_You_ were supposed to replenish my stuff anyway!" she retorted plainly.

Roxas gulped it down, even though it was horribly bitter, without any sugar or milk. It wasn't even hot in the first place; just lukewarm.

"Don't you have a coffee maker here or something?"

Xion shushed him. "You're hurt…just lie down and rest, okay?"

"B-But your coffee is terrible! Can't I make something myself?"

"Like the Chinese saying goes, bitter medicine is good for you!" Xion retorted. She took out an ice bag (which happened to be half melted, for some strange reason) and tried to rub it into Roxas' wound (quite literally)

The blonde soon found himself yelling out in pain from Xion's harsh treatment ("Oh" happened to be her excuse of an apology) and then they sat down next to each other, watching the brunette stranger sleeping on the sofa.

"She says she's a celebrity," Roxas scoffed, holding the ice bag on his head, "can you _believe _her?"

Xion pursed her lips. "I think…she's working with Riku."

Roxas immediately remembered the snobbish blue-haired guy who stabbed Axel. Despite the fact that Axel was stabbed, Axel insisted that he didn't require a hospital stay, because he was wearing his 'idiot proof vest and besides, I happen to have solid hard abs!' according to him, even though that was dispelled when Naminé poked him at his sides and decided that he was flabby and in need of exercise.

And before Roxas tried to lodge a police report, Axel decided that it was 'totally _not _hot' and told every 'steamin' _hot_' nurse that he could always get back at him.

Which no one believed.

"You _serious_?" Roxas asked, as he pushed away the thought of the brunette stabbing him just like Riku…but with multiple stabbings.

Xion nodded. "Olette Starr, starring in some stupid romance series that Riku is trying to direct. She's supposed to be a lead singer in an unknown band playing at bars in the show. Pretty good voice, I heard."

Roxas took one long glance at Olette Starr, in the strangest sleeping position yet. Her delicate finger was tracing the insides of the frying pan subconsciously.

"She was drunk, muttering stupid things, and well, she was in a mess." Roxas folded his arms. "Doesn't look like an actress to me."

Xion shook her head, smiling slightly. "She is. And a pretty good one at that."

Before Roxas could ask, she simply smiled sadly and said, "She was Riku's mistress and…my trusted friend when I was dating Riku."

* * *

"_You're so lucky to be Riku's girlfriend…He's so dreamy!"_

"_He is, Olette…he is."_

"_I really want a boyfriend like him…"

* * *

_

"I…used to tell her everything," Xion admitted, "even about my suspicions that Riku was cheating on me. I still remember what she said when I told her that."

"_Aw, don't look into it, really. Riku may seem sneaky, but he wouldn't cheat."_

"So I was really…"

"Upset when ironically, Olette and Riku dated behind your back?" Roxas asked, and then he widened his eyes and almost yelled, "Sorry! I shouldn't have said that-"

"It's true," Xion quietly said, as she shook her head. "You don't need to apologise, Roxas. It is the truth."

"B-But I'm so insensitive! I can't believe it, I'm really _really _sorry, after what she did to you, to think that I brought her back here…" he clenched his fist and stood up abruptly. He walked over to Olette, and within a heartbeat, he had lifted up Olette and was headed straight to the door.

Until he realized something.

"Uh…this may seem really weird, but…" Roxas gulped, "can you bring my car keys and open the door for me?"

Xion first blinked, and then she laughed, rolling her eyes. "Okay, sure."

"Uh, thanks," Roxas said, before he stumbled out of the door, almost falling flat on his face. When he managed to reach the car door, he pushed Olette in and got in himself. He waved to Xion, who was leaning against the door frame. "Bye!"

Xion smiled, shaking her head as she waved back.

_Thank you, Roxas.

* * *

_

**This was REALLY abrupt. Sorry.**

**And I'm really sorry about the previous chapter too. I know, I know, it was really bad and weird at the same time. After being away from for so long, I think I realized how stupid it is. Despite that, I don't think I'm going to change it, mostly because I'm too lazy, but also because I think I know how to move on from here. **

**While I was studying for my O levels I realized a lot of things about my fanfics. They don't have much of a plot, and they have the same background to it. I already know why my stories turn out this way, because in my case, it's true when you say that my stories reflect my life. So from now on, I'm going to try and really write something for others instead of just writing blindly and then realizing I don't have a plot and its just some weird story of my life or something like that. I don't know, but all these break-up stories just have to stop somewhere, you know? So I guess I'll continue all my stories, but I have to take time to revise my stories and get a plot for them. Besides, after I get my results, I'm fairly certain that I'll have time for fanfic writing. **

**Thanks for waiting! :D**


	7. Total Electrification of The Heart

Olette Starr woke up at 2pm, to a hungry stomach, a huge headache and a fragrant aroma from the kitchen that smelled like steak.

Upon realizing that she had no memory of last night, she picked up a frying pan by her side (she had no idea how a frying pan ended up next to the couch) and started to creep about the small apartment. If she was raped last night, that was certainly her fault for being drunk, but she still wanted to get revenge on the rapist for bringing her to this sorry excuse for a home.

She heard a shower running and laughing silently to herself in pure evil, Olette crept to the bathroom door. It was rather obvious; steam was coming out, filling the miniscule hallway with water vapour. She heard singing in the shower and cringed at her mental image – a burly, heavily tattooed man with hair all over the place. How did she get into this crazy mess…?

_Oh she, oh she's so international_

_The way, the way she get it on the floor_

Aside from her mental image of this rapist, he sounded pretty good. Olette tried the door knob. It wasn't locked, much to her delight.

She pushed open the door, taking a quick peek to see a cute blonde scrubbing his entire body with soap. Olette watched, absolutely mesmerized, as the blonde bobbed his head to the song. Soap to the neck, his slightly muscled arms, his back. She was still watching as he turned around, watching his abs ripple (or was it the steam that made her oh so intoxicated?) and thoroughly washing himself…until he caught her eye and screamed.

"HOLY CRAP!" Roxas stumbled, tripping over the soap, as Olette watched him, stupefied. He looked up to confirm that yes, the brunette was still watching him, and he hurriedly peeled off his towel and wrapped it around his lower regions. By then, Olette had already considered herself an expert of the tour around Roxas' body…only not invited.

"AHHH!" he screamed again, as he burst out of the room, to see the brunette sitting down beside the door frame, looking at him as though she had seen him bruised and naked before. "H-Hey, you h-had _better_ move it or I'll…"

Olette smirked. For a rapist, he certainly wasn't brave enough to smack her in the face, or chase her out and call her hateful names…

She was completely in control, since the half-naked man before her didn't expect this. Deciding that he wasn't dangerous, she began to play around for a while.

"You'll do what, mister?" Olette asked, pulling her most innocent face.

"I'll…call the police!" Roxas blurted out, and he attempted to run for his phone, falling in the process and nearly dropping his entire towel in front of Olette. He was absolutely flustered, his face flushed with utmost embarrassment.

He grabbed his phone and pointed it at Olette, still calmly sitting on the floor, and shakily held it there.

Olette shook her head. "Oh yes, call the police, then, but you'd be charged with _statutory rape_, mister. I can _always _act like a damsel in distress, and with my charms, the police will immediately arrest you, and then you'd be hanged, most likely because I'll fabricate complicated lies that make you so guilty you'd regret ever hearing about the birds and the bees from your parents."

"B-But I-!"

"Shh…" Olette stood up and pressed her fingers to his lips. "So how were my services, hm?"

"S-Services?" it was the only word that Roxas managed to speak, with her fingers on his lips.

In response, she playfully poked him in the stomach, causing him to lean back, toppling over and landing on the couch. He crawled back towards the other end of the couch, his threat already forgotten – all he wanted was to survive the ordeal unscarred.

"Wow, you really _are _stupid, aren't you?" Olette asked, raising an eyebrow and immediately throwing out her innocent side (not like she ever had one to begin with) "I can't believe a rapist would pick me up on a street, bring me to his home, rape me, and when I wake up I find that the rapist is half-naked with absolutely no intention of doing his job despite the fact that you could've done so in about…"

He watched Olette mentally count the number of opportunities she had given him…not that he actually _knew _what she was talking about.

"Oh, about 29 times?" she finished, and she placed her hands on her hips, waiting for some semblance of an answer.

Roxas was at a complete loss. Here he was, utterly vulnerable to this…_woman _and he was being attacked in his house and with no relative who cared except for Naminé (wait, scratch that, she'd rather have Olette around with him) and Axel (but then again, he rarely cared about anything at all to begin with) and what if he was murdered? That way his body would be found weeks, months or even _years _later when his neughbours realize that there's a foul stench and-

"I didn't touch you last night…" Roxas managed to say, but wait! He was telling a lie! No, no, no…"I mean uh, I did! B-But n-"

"So you _did _rape me huh?"

"NO! I mean, I _did _b-but not in _t-t-that _way!"

Olette rolled her eyes. She pointed to her chest. "Did you touch here?"

A blush. "No…"

"What about here? And here?"

"Nope, didn't touch you anywhere there."

Olette blinked, before she plopped down on one of his bean bags; the red one to be exact. Roxas widened his eyes at her bold movement, half-expecting Axel to burst in, comment on Roxas' hidden ability to 'catch hot babes' before attacking Olette for sitting on his bean bag.

"Ooookay, I guess I can like, totally trust you…" She took a whiff of the air, and Roxas remembered his specially-seasoned steak that he was supposed to eat after his bath…and his specially prepared mango dessert for three, one to the redhead and one to the raven-haired columnist.

Roxas stood up and attempted to take charge. "Um, okay, so you stay here, don't move; I'll change and then I'll send you back to Riku's office or something."

"Woah, you know Mr Riku Kisagi?" she sat up and asked, before she leaned back again, sighing. "But then again, who _doesn't_?"

"Um…why?"

"Because, _duh_, Riku's like, the hottest director here! He is like some music prodigy; composed songs that famous people sing. At the age of eighteen, he was running this super successful band, and writing his first script for a legendary drama, which _I, _Olette Starr, happen to star in. It's the talk of the town; everyone wants a piece of him!"

Before Roxas could politely excuse himself away, Olette continued. "He had all the girlfriends he could ever want, even The Love Critic herself dated him once and went for a date _more than once_ with him! I mean, she's been rejecting every single man except Kisagi himself!"

Roxas froze up at that statement. He clenched his fist. How could she speak of Xion, after all that she did…?

"And that was a compliment; Mr Kisagi may be hot, but he ain't a very nice man." Olette finished, and looked at Roxas glaring at her. "What? Aren't you supposed to change or something?"

As Roxas hurriedly left the living room, Olette frowned. Sure, she did some mean things, but what she did to Xion then…was unforgivable.

All because of her ultimate desire.

* * *

Roxas finally reached Riku's office…or building. He looked at the towering skyscraper and figured that he owned the entire place anyway.

Olette clapped her hands in delight. "Great! I can go film stuff now! See you!" She was about to leave when she was stopped by Roxas, who ran out to stop her from exiting his car.

"Wait! Y-You ruined my _car_ last night!" Roxas blurted out, and as proof he pointed to his vehicle. "Look! I-I crashed into a lamp post and saved your life!"

"Oh, right…" Olette pulled out a foolscap paper, crumpled and wrinkled everywhere. It read 'Waiver of Responsibility'. "Sign this, please."

"B-But you have to pay for damages!" Roxas yelled again, and he shook his head vigorously. "N-No way!"

Olette looked at him, and then sighed. "Okay, _fine, _I'll pay for the damages, _after _I settle my contract with Mr Kisagi. You can take some ka-ching out of my pay, and then you'll be fine. Look, if there's not enough I really don't mind paying for a new car if I had enough money. So if you want to seek compensation now…" she looked up at the building and smirked, "you'd follow me and sort this out."

Xx

Riku finished his coffee and he looked up at the feminine figure before him. She was holding a taser and a bouquet of flowers. "Are you leaving for the hospital soon?"

The blonde-haired female rolled her eyes. "I'm an actress, not a delivery girl. Get someone your own height."

Riku blinked and realized that even without heels, she still towered above him. A fair bit shorter than that lanky redhead who threatened to burn him, but still taller.

"I'm the one paying you, Ms Valentina…remember?" Riku pointed out, exasperated by her behaviour. After all, she was merely doing him a favour – just take a drive (with _his _car, no less) and fork over some hospital bills and a gift. And as much as he wanted to spray the bouquet with a dangerously poisonous substance (he tried to _torch_ Riku!) he couldn't bring himself to.

The stabbing incident was thankfully, unreported and he was able to escape the wrath of an _imperfect _record.

Perfection was necessary. It was his bloodline; the essence of all his ancestors had been _perfection_. And such an imperfect act of stabbing someone else, the confusing emotions, and the inability to control himself then…it pained his heart to think that he had done such atrocities.

He shook his head, dismissing Ms Valentina, who huffed and stormed off angrily, shoving past Olette Starr and a male blonde…

Roxas Strife.

He looked as flustered as he was on the day of the incident. It was probably because he had never been into such an extravagant office before. Roxas ignored the fact that he nearly fell backwards due to Ms Valentina, but instead he walked up to a painting of a landscape that Riku had purchased a few years ago, and started to touch it.

Both Olette and Riku exchanged glances as they observed him scrutinizing the painting. Finally, he spoke. "Naminé would've _begged _for this painting."

* * *

"_No_ _one_ bosses _me _around!" the blonde woman muttered angrily under her breath. She gripped her taser. "And whoever the patient is…Edward would have a brilliant time."

She brushed past the nurses who feebly attempted to confiscate her taser and burst into Ward 459, where she spotted the redhead that Mr Kisagi had mentioned earlier.

* * *

Axel looked up from polishing Alice to see a frightfully tall woman holding a bouquet of wilted flowers (Axel could've sworn he saw sparks) and a taser aimed at his face.

"Hey _lady_! _Hello_? I _happen_ to be polishing _Alice_!" Axel waved his lighter in her face as proof.

" I _don't care_!" she yelled back, her face so uncomfortably close to his that Axel felt static on his face, and he could smell…

"I smell…a _great evil_ from you…" Axel muttered thoughtfully, and he stroked his chin. "And may I know the _name _of this elegant evil?"

The blonde was so taken aback by this that she lurched backwards and huffed, placing her hands on her hips. "Are you _flirting _with me?"

Axel widened his eyes. "Geez, I just find you _elegant_! Besides, I would _never _flirt with anyone!" He then turned to his trusty lighter. "Oh Alice dear, please excuse me for my behaviour…"

"Is Alice…your _lighter_?"

"The one and only!" Axel exclaimed. He looked at her taser. "That yours?"

The stranger looked at her taser. "Yes. _His_ name is Edward."

A pause. "I…never thought I'd meet someone like…me…" Axel nearly started sniffling. "A-A Christmas _miracle_…!"

Another pause. "Wait. You mean _the _Edward? As in _the _Edward who sparkles in thy light? _The _Edward in Twilight who gets all thy girls and has huge muscles?"

"Like, _duh_, he's like every woman's dream guy?"

"Note to Self: Put glitter on self to make self shinier, hence becoming a chick magnet." Axel nodded to himself, getting it memorized.

The blonde stared at the redhead and then she remembered something. "Oh yes, my main mission here…" she handed him the bouquet ("Ooh, _bonfire _tonight, baby!") And then she grinned as she tasered him with Edward.

"_That _was totally good." And as she walked away, she threw him her namecard, complete with her name and her number.

"Larxene Valentina…"

* * *

Naminé bumped into someone along the way to Axel's ward; she was too absorbed in her sketch to notice who (though she did feel a slight electric shock…)

Axel looked at Naminé and grinned. "_Heeeey_, look, it's my bud's baby sister! Come here, you!" He tried to reach for her, but in the process he nearly fell off the bed.

"Hello, Axel!" she chirped in response. She looked at the wilted bouquet and blinked. Then she noticed his _hair_.

"Um…Axel, I think your hair is…_spikier _than norma-" she was cut off when she was promptly shocked by touching Axel's hair. She gasped and took a shaky step back. "It's…ELECTRICALLY CHARGED, Axel!"

"I've…been Edward-ified…!" Axel replied, as he fell back in his bed with a contented smile, twitching every once in a while (say, two seconds?) "She _electrifies _my heart…"

Naminé didn't want to know what happened.

* * *

"So, Mr Strife, we'll pay you for the…damage that Ms Starr caused to your…car, if you call that rotten machine that…" Riku muttered, scribbling what seemed like important stuff on a piece of paper.

"It's a car, alright…" Roxas mumbled to himself.

"And…you need to sign this waiver of responsibility, so you wouldn't sue us even if you wanted to. Just in case…" he continued, and Olette pulled out the rotten paper she nearly threw at Roxas a while ago.

Roxas simply frowned, and mumbled more nonsense as he hastily signed it. He shoved the envelope that Riku gave in his pocket and shuffled away, only to bump into the same woman who was in the office before.

"See you, Roxas!" Olette called out. Larxene simply snorted, her taser at her side.

* * *

Roxas, after grumbling to himself in the car in the middle of the driveway (he didn't like Riku anyway, so he didn't bother) decided to drive out to meet up with Axel. After that, he had to drop by Xion's place to clean up a botched lunch that she made (according to her, she didn't quite know what she was making, which made it all the more worse) and then accompany her to one of her dates. His job was to be a bodyguard, just in case "he decides to assault me or stalk me, just like last time…"

The blonde wasn't sure of what to expect, but Xion said that she would run through whatever he had to do once more…and something else.

Oh yes, he was to meet her at some expensive shopping centre for his suit.

"Great, just great…" Roxas muttered as he drove slowly, carefully avoiding any lamp posts.

* * *

"Hey, Ax- woah, what happened to your hair?" Roxas pointed at Axel's hair, which seemed odd, even for his usual style.

Naminé turned around, and Roxas saw that she was reading Twilight. Axel looked at Roxas and grinned. "Yo, my baby boy! Come here, you! We're at the part where Edward rips off his shirt and becomes shiny for some reason. I tell you, I bet those chicks in the streets hate that shirt so much they'll burn it to see his chest…"

"I'm reading Twilight to him," Naminé explained, looking at Roxas' bewildered face, "because he met someone with a male taser called Edward."

"So…the taser is named after a shiny vampire?"

"Indeed it is, Roxy boy!" Axel exclaimed and he motioned for Roxas to sit down. "You know, I had three Christmas miracles today."

"Uh huh…" the siblings replied together.

"He's been telling me since I came!" Naminé hissed.

"The first miracle was that I met someone similar to me and boy, she's a _babe_, man." Axel twitched a little, literally from the aftershocks of the taser incident, and continued. "The second miracle was that I _actually _got her number!"

He waved Larxene's business card around. Roxas was sharp enough to notice red marks on his fingers and doodles of fire around the card.

"The third miracle…ho ho, this is a good one, Roxas," and Axel reached for Roxas, squeezing the blonde's hand so tight that it sent sparks flying…literally. Roxas felt his hair stand, and that was unusually freaky, because his hair was naturally gravity-defying in the first place. "…My hair's not just defying _gravity_, but _all _of _science _itself! Heck, Mother Nature would've _smacked_ me if she were a real mum!"

It was a curious scene. Their hair was already gravity-defying, but with current flowing through their hair, it was like a sci-fi movie instead. It was unimaginable, but their hair had just defied nature, the Earth and perhaps the entire Universe in standing up _that _way. It was so jaw-dropping that Naminé couldn't help but do exactly that – drop her jaw in the figurative way, for if she were to do it literally, it would add to their unsung accomplishments in nature itself.

"Okay…" Roxas pulled away quickly, and his hair flopped back to defy just gravity itself. He shook his head nervously. "Christmas miracles indeed, Axel…"

Axel twitched and gave Roxas a thumbs-up. "She electrifies my soul. The blood coursing through my veins can feel it, Roxy! It's _fate_ I tell you! _FATE_!"

"Axel's been watching soap operas on the hospital TV excessively…" Naminé explained. "That's why he seems more mature than usual, I'm sure of it."

"Great! Will he give up his lighter soon?" Roxas asked.

Axel bolted up from his bed. "No way. Alice and I are meant to be, but that doesn't mean I can't have another chick in my life!" he retorted, clutching his lighter tightly. "And besides, with _that _chick I can _totally _have little Axeys! We can have a freakin' _huge _bonfire! I'll even buy 'em lighters for Christmas every year!"

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Remind me to take them out to _reality _once in a while…" he began to walk away from the ward. "…and right now, my current reality happens to be one word – LATE!"

With that, he rushed off, leaving Axel and Naminé to their story-telling session.

"Hey!" Axel snapped at the narrator. "What about Alice?"

Oh, right. Let me say it again. With that, he rushed off, leaving Axel, Alice _and _Naminé to their story-telling session about a vampire named Edward.

"Heck _yeah_, stupid ceiling!" Axel shook his fist at the ceiling.

* * *

**I have this strange feeling everyone likes Alice alot.**

**The male taser idea came from moonlight-on-grass. Sorry I couldn't use Logan; Edward was too tough to resist! I just wanted to write 'Edward-ified'...**

**Anyway, probably a few hours from now I'll be updating with the second part of this ridiculously long-winded chapter. At least I shed some light on the relationship between Xion, Riku and Olette...did I? But it's so freakishly clichéd you can probably guess what's gonna happen next. **

**And please review. It's my lifeline, for goodness sake. I check my mail every few hours just to see a review. It makes my heart happy. I even remember it when I wake up in the morning! So, if you wanna make me happy for the morning, SEND A REVIEW! My heart will be very very grateful :D  
**


	8. Bad Date, Good Bodyguard

Roxas walked over to the shopping centre. It was already 4, and he was on time. He started to touch any metal object to ensure that he had fully discharged himself. He did not like the idea of electrocuting Xion; she probably already did her hair. He remembered recently that she had started to post at least one picture of her outfit, which was requested by her many readers.

He shook his head. Here he was in rags, and she was probably coming in an evening gown. Roxas was reminded of Cinderella, but this time, the well-dressed lady wasn't going to leave him at home; she was helping him look smart.

But that would make _him _Cinderella, which freaked him out a little. Maybe Snow White; oh wait, she was in rags but she was a princess, wasn't she? Roxas wasn't even prince material; his entire kingdom would put him in exile for his total lack of style! Oh, goodness, now he was comparing himself to Disney princesses which completely did _not _calm him dow-

"Roxas?"

Oh crap.

Roxas whipped around, and instead of Cinderella he saw Xion dressed in a tube top and a pair of plain jeans. She had sunglasses on, but Roxas could see her azure eyes peeking out at him.

"Oh, good! You're here! Great, okay, we have to drop by the men's department for a shirt, a tie, pants, belt…and shoes! Yes, yes, shoes…" she handed Roxas a notebook and a pen. The blonde immediately started to scribble down everything she said as she continued. "…and we need heels for me…maybe a clutch, and a dress. I saw one at one of the shops the other day, and I just called the manager…he's willing to give it to me at half price to promote his newest designs…Roxas? You okay?"

"How…How am I supposed to pay for whatever you're gonna buy me?" He frowned. "It's gonna take me _years_!"

Xion shook her head. "I wasn't planning to let you pay at all…"

"What? No way. You can…deduct it off my salary!" Roxas blurted out. He thought about it for a while, and then he nodded his head. "…Yeah! Just deduct it."

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "I haven't even considered your salary…but it was going to take into account your outfits…"

"Great! I mean, uh, okay, l-let's go then!" Roxas exclaimed, and he closed the notebook shut, and in trying to look all professional in closing it, he dropped his pen, earning a snicker from Xion.

* * *

Roxas was trying not to sound over-enthusiastic over shopping for new clothes, but in fact he was actually pretty excited. The last time he remembered wearing a suit was at Marluxia's grandmother's 3rd wedding, and he had to do with Marluxia's old suits. His old suits were frilly and pink ("Magenta, dear," Marluxia would chide) and he could've sworn he saw Naminé laughing somewhere in the crowded café.

The worst part of the wedding was the guests themselves. Since Marluxia's grandmother was 96, all the women were naggy little women who fussed over the dumbest of things ("I hate forks! A SPORK PLEASE!" aside from the usual complaint that Roxas' food were too mango-ish or too hard for their teeth) and since the groom was 28, all the men were laughing and gossiping about Roxas' horrible outfit.

All in all, it was a terrifying experience, but when Xion saw his horrified expression Roxas had to tell her, in great detail, about the wedding.

"How can a 96-year-old grandma marry a 28-year-old man?" Xion asked incredulously.

"It's part of her charm…?"

Xion rolled her eyes, but laughed as they walked into the departmental store. Xion's first priority was to get Roxas some clothes (because she insisted that he should have a fresh change of clothes every once in a while)

"So, Roxas, the million-dollar question – will you marry a grandma?" Xion questioned, nudging Roxas eagerly.

"If I say yes, will I get rich?"

"If you manage to marry _my _grandma, then yes, of course!" Xion replied. "Oh, and video tape it too! Your _entire_ affair!"

Roxas laughed. "I'd rather marry you than my grandma…"

It was too late. Xion had heard it, but Roxas was quick to defend himself from embarrassment. "I mean, uh, well, any other female out there who loves me as much as I do…yeah!"

Xion smiled. "Um…of course!" She had heard it, but to save Roxas from embarrassment, she didn't probe more.

"Um…sorry…" Roxas apologized, sheepishly looking down. "B-But anyway, most of the groom's friends were gay. They were staring at me, you can count on it!"

Xion smirked. "Really? Ah, they sure have good eye candy there, with you in frills!"

"Yeah! I was getting freaked out, so Axel tried to calm me down by threatening them with his old lighter."

"And I assume she had a name?"

"Yep. Her name was Emma."

"What a sweet name…Emma, eh?" Xion smiled to herself. "Anyway, here we are, Roxas! The clothes department, for men!"

Roxas looked away from Xion (he had just realized he was looking at her all the time without taking much note of his surroundings) and glanced about the area. There were ties, suits, normal shirts for going out, pants, swimwear…

"This place has _everything_!" Roxas exclaimed, almost too loudly as the men turned to look at the duo. He put his hands to his lips abruptly, and then he continued looking about. He browsed at the nearest pile of clothes, and picked up a shirt. The blonde checked the price tag, then much to Xion's amusement, he dropped it and moved away from it hastily.

"Saw something you liked?" Xion asked sarcastically, and Roxas frowned. "Okay, okay, kidding…okay, try these on…" and she proceeded to dump a few shirts into his hands.

"Go change; I'll wait for you outside the changing room with more to try, okay?" Xion instructed, as she guided Roxas to the changing room. He sorted out the shirts and the pants (Xion had thrown in a few pants, some shirts and what seemed to be a discarded bra she had unintentionally taken) before walking into the changing room.

* * *

Xion walked away, and started to pick clothes for Roxas. It was therapeutic, and she could browse about, trusting her instincts to subconsciously pick the right clothes while her mind trailed far from what Roxas should wear, to Roxas himself. She found herself relax and loosen up with him around; he was trustworthy, someone she could trust her life with. Better yet, she could trust him with her secrets, especially concerning Riku and Olette. But not now, she thought sadly to herself, what if he starts to avoid me?

She was such a _jerk_ back then. There was no better word for her.

When she realized that her arms could no longer take the weight, she turned around, just in time to see Roxas walk out with his first shirt.

"Not bad, Roxas," she commented, straightening his shirt for him and patting it. Roxas hoped that she didn't see him blush when he felt her fingers trace his chest slightly. Xion continued, "but we should look at the other ones. Wait, are those the pants I picked out?"

For the next hour she fussed over how he looked, until finally they narrowed the selection to a few sets of shirts, pants, a simple tie (Roxas insisted that his tie was to be free of any cheesy prints) and a black jacket to top it off.

They soon reached the shoes department, where Xion tried on a few heels and flats for herself. Roxas simply stood at the corner, with his new purchases, watching her pick out what seemed like a whole pile of flats and heels, before rejecting nearly everything but a few pairs left for her to purchase.

Roxas spotted a pair of ballet flats, and he remembered that Naminé needed a new pair of flats herself, despite her repeated protests. Slowly he started to browse through the flats, picking out what seemed to be the most durable of the lot, and the prettiest one he could find which would be versatile, simple, yet sweet.

Xion once again observed the man prowl about the female shoes, checking the price tag. She could tell the price simply from looking at Roxas himself; he happened to be very expressive with his face, and from what he had conveyed with his facial expressions, his search was not going well. The salesgirls weren't very pleased with him either, for he ignored them, oblivious to their whispering and staring.

Shaking her head, she walked towards Roxas, smiling as she caught a hint of dismay in the salesgirls huddled about at a distance away from Roxas. "Need some help there?" she asked innocently.

Roxas looked up. "O-Oh, um, I was just, uh, looking for…nothing; um, so you made up your mind?" He took one final look at the shoe he was holding, before hastily putting it back and grinning sheepishly. "Was it the brown heels or the pink flats?"

Xion shook her head again. "I bought them both. Anyway…" she picked up the flat that Roxas just returned, and scrutinized it. "…Naminé would really like this. She'd look great in these…"

Roxas laughed nervously. "U-Um, yeah…how did you know?"

"I can tell…you seem like the big brother I've always wanted, I guess." Xion admitted, and she smiled at him. "It's like…once you love someone, you'll love that person for life, and with all your heart."

The blonde again laughed nervously, and Xion couldn't help but smile wider at his surprisingly cute laugh.

"Okay…I think we should go get your dress now, Xion…" Roxas said, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the perfect shoe for Naminé. Xion looked at him and motioned for one of the salesgirls watching Roxas like teenage girls watching their crush.

"Excuse me, but do they have these flats in my size?" Xion asked, and she winked at Roxas.

Before Roxas could stop her, the salesgirl had hurried away to fetch Xion a pair.

"Y-You had better deduct this from my pay!" Roxas hastily yelled, almost too loudly.

Xion grinned. "Just take this as a gift from me to Naminé, okay? I doubt you know her shoe size, no matter how much you love her, but she can probably fit into my shoes as easily as Cinderella trying on her glass slipper."

Roxas couldn't help but break into a huge grin.

* * *

They reached the boutique that Xion mentioned, and she was warmly greeted by the manager of the shop, who immediately handed Xion her tailor-made outfit for the night. It was a simple, yet elegant piece - a sleeveless maroon dress with a thick black line around the waist, like a belt.

Xion finally changed into the dress, and Roxas marveled at her stunning looks. "No wonder so many men want to date you!" he exclaimed, as he grinned goofily at her.

In response, Xion did a simple curtsy. "The pleasure's all mine, Mr Kane," she replied, practicing her greeting.

Roxas smiled. "Hope that dude is nice…I don't exactly want to end up next to Axel in hospital…"

The raven-haired lady before him laughed. "Neither do I; what will I eat without you around?" She checked her watch and frowned. "We have a few minutes to spare before you have to drive me there. Promise me one thing though, Roxas."

"And what is that?"

"If the food at this restaurant happens to be bad, I'd like your home-cooked meal at your place, okay?" Xion wriggled her pinky finger at him. "Pinky promise?"

The blonde smiled, and nodded in agreement, and he heartily shook pinkies with her. "Pinky promise," he repeated.

* * *

The man was called Mr Winston Kane, and he was a CEO of some ultra rich company. Roxas knew this because strangely enough, that was almost exactly how he introduced himself to Xion. If Naminé were the one accepting this, he figured that she'd slap him real hard, and lecture him on how money doesn't woo her.

Xion seemed to be tolerating this, or rather, it seemed as though she had seen it all the time, and similarly she introduced herself and Roxas as her personal bodyguard.

"Of course, _Shio_, we rich people are generous after all, giving the needy a helping hand with a job and all. Ho, ho, ho!" he laughed heartily, and Xion tried not to frown at how he mispronounced her name…and insulted Roxas.

Roxas didn't bother saying a thing, simply smiled. Here was Santa Claus trying to make a Christmas miracle for himself by hooking up with Xion…even though she'd insult him by her next article the day after tomorrow.

Xion rolled her eyes as he presented her with a diamond necklace, but she took it graciously and handed it to Roxas.

"Shall we dine, my dear?" Mr Kane asked, almost too sweetly and it made Roxas shiver. He pushed open the doors for Xion, and then proceeded to slam it in Roxas' face by letting it go abruptly.

"Ouch…" Roxas rubbed his nose. Soon he could join Mr Kane; he could be Rudolph with his red nose and they'd make a _great _team!

Xion frowned, but before she could insult him, Mr Kane quickly settled her down in her seat. He ignored Roxas as he walked towards them.

"Oh, Roxas, you can sit next to us, at the other table. No worries, it's Mr Kane's treat," and she smiled sweetly at Mr Kane to confirm this; he of course had no choice but to oblige, "and feel free to order anything, really."

"Okay, sure," Roxas replied, and soon Mr Kane started to hog Xion's attention, making sure that she was entertained and she was having a good time. Roxas observed them have idle chat for a while, with Xion writing on her notebook and smiling discreetly at Roxas once in a while.

When Mr Kane caught him staring at them, he snapped. "Hey, boy, don't interrupt us, will you?" he chided angrily, and he glared at the blonde.

"S-Sorry…" Roxas mumbled, audible enough for him.

"Calm down, Mr Kane," Xion said in an even tone, "this is his first day at the job."

"Ha! No wonder!" Mr Kane barked, but it was meant as a joke with Xion. "He certainly doesn't know his manners…"

"Of course he knows his manners," Xion said, almost harshly, and Roxas saw Mr Kane flinch at her icy voice, "because I know him fairly well, Mr Kane. I would like to request that you try not to put him down like that if you don't know him yourself. It would reflect _poorly _on my article…"

"Oh yes, of course, Shio."

Roxas tried not to snicker as their dishes arrived.

* * *

Mr Kane escorted Xion out, with Roxas trailing behind. He had requested for the remainder of his food (which was nearly everything) to be packed because he was feeling full. The blonde made sure that he held the door for himself before Mr Kane smashed it in his face.

"It was a pleasure dining with you, Shio." Mr Kane said. "Perhaps we should go out another time?"

"I will have to think about it, Mr Kane, but it would be nice," _Not_. Xion smiled to herself, and Mr Kane took it as a good sign. "And do look out for my article."

"Yes, Shio, I know all about it, ho ho!" and he nudged her arm as though they had been best buddies all that time. He gave her a long, and very public kiss on the cheek, and Roxas would've stopped him himself if Xion didn't slowly push away from him.

"Thank you for the dinner, Mr Kane," she said, and then Roxas smiled and extended a hand. His gesture was not returned by the man, who simply took a subtle step back.

"You're very welcome, Shio… and please, just call me Winston."

When Winston Kane turned around to his car, Xion hurriedly grabbed Roxas by the arm and ran to the car, where they both burst into fits of laughter for what seemed like ages.

"This is totally gross…" she cleaned her face with a piece of wet tissue.

Roxas grinned. "Oh, _Shio_, this is such a great restaurant, don't you think? Oh, come here, Shio, give me a kiss!" he puckered his lips and mimicked what Mr Kane did to Xion. To avoid it, Roxas dropped his glass on the floor, and the broken glass was promptly added to his bill.

Xion burst out laughing. "Oh, stop it, Mr Kane, you're _such _a _man_ with your 'ho ho ho's! I just want to kiss your hairy lips!" she played along, laughing even harder.

Roxas continued to pucker his lips. "Oh Shio, my heart yearns for you, you beautiful maroon girl!" It was what Mr Kane called Xion when he tried to compliment her.

"Oh, yes, Mr Kane, you big hairball, how I love your chest hair!" Xion cried out. And then she grinned. "Oh, right, did I tell you I could actually _see _it?"

"You're kidding; no way!" Roxas laughed even more.

"I think it dropped in his food…I saw it!" Xion giggled even more.

"Oh Shio, please help me pick up my chest hair, and while you're at it, we can kiss and make out over our daleeeeeecious food!" Roxas again mimicked Mr Kane's strange way of emphasizing.

Xion again burst out laughing, her head leaning on Roxas' shoulder as naturally as two best friends. Roxas was still puckering his lips and Xion looked up at his face. As Roxas turned his head downwards towards her, she accidentally lifted her head up.

Their lips instantly clashed.

* * *

**You guys had better review both chapters because I worked super hard on both of em! T_T Anyway, I think I'll try to update my other stories.**


	9. Of Stalkers and Kisses and Stars

Roxas hurled himself violently towards the car door, away from Xion, who was blushing deeply. "AHH!" he yelled in horror, his face turning pale. "I am _really really _sorry, I-I uh, um…"

And they both sat in silence again. Xion cocked her head to a side. "Roxas, this may sound strange, but you taste of mangoes."

Roxas laughed nervously. "U-Uh, I ate three mango puddings. It was Kane's treat, after all…"

Xion smirked. "I ate two…but they aren't as great as yours." She looked at her watch; it was still early. "Cook something for me at your place, then!"

The blonde could only nod his head. Inside his mind was in a whirl, like the time Marluxia's grandmother forced him to drink at her wedding to 'loosen up, you stiff poopyhead', but worse. Here was the female who had just stolen his first non-family kiss (Naminé distributed a lot of kisses) and she was telling him how he tasted (like mangoes, which wasn't very bad for his first kiss; Naminé said they tasted like coffee) when she should be freaking out just like him.

He started to drive slowly. Yes, yes, if he was intoxicated, it was wise to drive slow, unlike Axel who would attempt to start a fire with Marluxia's grandmother ("I'd _totally _name my next lighter after you, granny!") by crashing his car into a building.

"You okay?" Xion asked, and she patted his shoulder worriedly.

"U-Um, yeah, yeah I'm okay, I'm okay…"

Xion rolled her eyes and sighed. "Was that your first kiss?"

Roxas whipped around so hard he felt his neck snap and he braked the car into a halt. "How did you _know_?"

Xion shrugged. "That was how I acted when I kissed for the first time."

"You mean all stuttering and stuff?"

She nodded. Roxas sighed, and then he smiled. "I'm…sort of glad it was you."

Xion smirked. She knew that sometimes, you could put Roxas in such a tight spot he could squirm and get all so nervous and cute, in some way. "Oh really?" she asked playfully.

Roxas blushed and he gulped. "I mean- uh, because, uh, you know…" He remembered how Axel's equally crazy grandmother used to tell him that "if I were your age, I would've made ten of your babies already!" And obviously, despite Axel's encouragement, he didn't want such a thing to come true.

Besides, what if she burnt the babies or forgot their names? His kids would be motherless and they'd be laughed at!

Roxas shook that strangely fatherly thought away from his mind and focused on his driving, even though Xion decided to pester him more. "Because what?"

He grunted to himself and then he replied, "Because the people who _have _offered to kiss me aren't…suitable for me." Roxas smoothed the steering wheel. "And besides, I've never been liked by any girl in school…"

When they were teens, Roxas and Axel were still best buddies, and Axel was crazier then. Axel was eccentric, but everyone flocked to him like a magnet, while Roxas was the silent guy who was a good boy and didn't drink, or party. In fact, as usual, Roxas would be the one who helped Axel and in return, Axel gave him friendship and trust. It was a strange relationship that no one understood, not even any of Axel's girlfriends when he was a teen.

"I don't believe it. I bet you looked pretty good back then…" Xion nudged him again, and he laughed.

"Really? I'll show you my high school photo; you wouldn't believe your eyes."

Xion rolled her eyes. "How bad could it be?"

* * *

"That _is _bad. Suspenders were never fashionable to begin with. And…is that a _polka dot _bow tie?" Xion gaped in horror at Roxas' photo. "And glasses?"

"I just thought it framed my eyes!" the blonde retorted.

"No, it doesn't! It hides them!"

Roxas sighed, as he continued to chop up the parsley on his chopping board. He was in the kitchen, cooking a small side dish for Xion and himself, while Xion was sitting in a beanbag, flipping through his old photos.

"Oh, I see Naminé; she's gorgeous!" Xion cooed, as she looked at Naminé's svelte figure and shy smile, a lock of her blonde hair falling down to block part of her face. She could see how similar the two of them looked; she had already seen their phtographs from cradle to high school. There was one photo of the two of them side by side building a sandcastle. Naminé was constructing it, while Roxas was bare-chested and perspiring, shoveling wet sand into a bucket as construction material.

There were other photos as well, and they all seemed to be taken in a villa, with their grandmother, who looked like the typical sweet old lady – young at heart, a twinkle in her eyes, and wrinkles from smiling too much. She seemed like the type who would hand out cookies to Roxas and Naminé and fuss over them constantly.

"That was my grandmother," Roxas pointed out, and he smiled at the photo. "We used to hang around at her villa all summer. I even invited Axel a few times. We went there every year, for two weeks, until…she died, of course. Believe me, that was the first time I saw Axel cry; the three of us by her side, crying together."

"Oh," Xion mumbled softly, feeling his pain, "I-I'm sorry. So…how's the villa? You still visit there?"

Roxas sighed. "She didn't leave her will, so Dad took over everything. Made us instantly rich." He looked around his apartment and smiled. "He wanted to sell the villa, but since I was 18 then I opposed. Nami supported me, and he kicked us out. He's been giving us a small amount of money every month, and in exchange, he wouldn't sell it…but if he does…he'd demolish it."

The blonde looked around his apartment and sighed again. Xion found herself seething; how could the father be such a heartless man? "Why can't you sue him or something?"

"Because I doubt we can do anything. Even if we do sue, eventually we'll use up all our money, and Cloud has the funds to sue us back. I have been saving up but I don't know how much is enough to save the villa. If Cloud wins, he will choose to demolish the villa and sell the land."

They both stared at the photo quietly. Then Roxas stood up, scratching his head sheepishly. "Well, I'd better prepare your dinner. I don't know about you, but I'm starving. I'm making some fried chicken with my secret sauce."

"Don't you have a lot of secret sauces?"

"No, just a secret number of secret sauces..."

* * *

"Coke for the Shio?" Roxas asked sarcastically, but he didn't wait for a reply as he poured some into her cup, squeezed some lemon into it and added apple juice into it. Xion smiled as she gulped it down, sighing in contentment. "Have you found a name for this mixture yet?"

"Shio's Bubbly Apple. I like this one. Better than Purple Mango Bubbles." Xion took another gulp, grinning. Roxas remembered how he made himself a mixture of Sprite and freshly squeezed mango juice, and left it there, vulnerable to Xion's prank of pouring grape juice inside. She named it Purple Mango Bubbles, and from then on Roxas made his own drinks in the kitchen. If Xion find out about how he gets drunk with a drop of beer…

"Purple Mango Bubbles was horrible. You do not mix grape and mangoes. I like to think that-" Before Roxas could finish, Xion's business phone started to ring. He watched a frown emerge from Xion's face as she answered it briskly.

"Hello, Xion Leonhart here…Oh, is that so? I see. Well, thank you very much, Mr…oh, Mr Bloom..." she looked at Roxas, who handed her a piece of paper and a pen. She scribbled down 'Help this dude wants a date and he sounds really gross' as she continued her talk with him.

"Oh, right now? Um…" Xion bit her lip and looked at her cup of Shio's Bubbly Apple, before looking at Roxas again, the blonde contemplating her situation before shrugging nonchalantly and nodding. She glared at him and replied, almost too sweetly, "Sure, we'll be there."

* * *

Roxas was in his suit again, and Xion had to make do with the same dress she wore to Mr Kane's date, though she altered it slightly by using one of Naminé's necklaces, which Roxas kept in 'a secret place that Axel can _never_ know because he'd freak if he finds out that I keep her undergarments and stuff in his cupboard…oops'.

"Thanks for making Shio's Bubbly Apple," she said, patting his shoulder as he continued to drive, with a flask filled with said liquid between them.

"Sure thing, anything for Shio herself!" Roxas grinned, and he parked the car by the roadside. He surveyed the area and checked his map before nodding. "This is the place."

The two of them exited the car, and looked up at what seemed to be an abandoned theater. The neon lights that graced its entrance were flickering, and as Roxas retrived Xion's bag from the car one of the light bulbs fell to the ground and shattered, causing Roxas to jump.

Xion raised an eyebrow. "Scared, Roxas?" she asked teasingly.

Roxas had already started to imagine the supernatural forces that were controlling the lights and even the phone call. _I shouldn't have put Naminé's stuff in Axel's cupboard…oh, great ghostly ones, please forgive me…_he thought to himself frightfully before he took a deep breath, and escorted Xion in, muttering, "I'm not…"

They entered the theater, which was pitch dark. Roxas carefully took out his flashlight from his bag and switched it on, his hands already shaking. Xion watched in amusement as Roxas stepped in front of her and shone his flashlight around. It was obvious that he was shaking; the light from the flashlight was vibrating as well.

"You…sure you're okay, Roxas?" she asked again, and gave his arm a gentle squeeze.

"Y-Yeah, totally, I mean…" he trailed off before he lit up and announced, "but there's no one here, so we should _really _get going…"

"Ms Leonhart?" a voice spoke, and it was so clear that Roxas yelped and dropped his flashlight, which clattered to the ground. Xion jumped, but she glanced up at the voice and spotted a man around her own age, smiling at her. "Good evening, Ms Leonhart…and…"

They both noticed Roxas, who had quickly scooped up the flashlight and looked up at the man, with an expectant look on his face. Roxas gulped and gained his composure. "Uh…Roxas."

Xion pinched his arm and Roxas cried out in pain. "YEOW! Okay, okay! I'm Mr Strife!"

"And Mr Strife. A pleasure to make your acquaintance. Unfortunate for you to be spooked out by the theater…" the man made his descent down the stairs that neither of them had noticed before. Roxas watched his every move. He was elegant, in a manly sense, and he seemed as though he was gliding down…

Roxas bit his lip. He had to stop reading too much into the way he walked.

On closer examination, the man was rather tan, and he had a well-defined face. He had muscles showing out beneath the fabric of his immaculate suit, and he had deep emerald eyes that examined him with curiosity. Xion extended out her hand, and he took it, shaking it firmly. Roxas did the same. "I'm…Ms Leonhart's bodyguard."

"Ms Leonhart's bodyguard…very well." He smiled and adjusted his dirty blonde hair smoothly. "I'm Hayner Bloom. Shall we dine, Ms Leonhart?"

"Please, just call me Xion…and yes, let's dine." Xion replied, and she surveyed her surroundings carefully. "Though I don't see a table or any sort."

Roxas nodded. There were a grand flight of stairs that led upstairs, and the entrance to the theater, but aside from that, there was nothing more.

"Oh, sorry, but this isn't where we eat. It's just the helicopter pad."

Roxas choked on his own saliva (or was it the musty air around here?) and blurted out, "H-Helicopter?"

Hayner didn't bother to confirm that; he simply walked up the stairs, leaving Xion and Roxas at the base of the staircase.

Xion took Roxas' arm and they both slowly ascended the staircase. "Someone tried to fly me to South Africa for dinner with the lions and giraffes once," Xion commented, as Roxas widened his eyes in horror, "and I obviously turned the guy down."

"I don't think the lions would mind; they get good food plus some humans, too!" Roxas chirped sarcastically, in a high-pitched voice. Xion giggled, before she abruptly elbowed his stomach.

"Behave."

They both emerged out, and they both marveled at the skyline from the top of the building. Roxas picked out Xion's new iPhone (the one she got a few weeks back from some dude she dated) and started to take photographs of everything. "This is awesome!" he exclaimed, and then he shoved it back into Xion's handbag again.

"You can have that, you know. I have eight of them; the man was a very superstitious Chinese and in Chinese, eight sounds like prosperity." She took out the iPhone and handed it to him, before taking out another phone. "I have my own one, anyway. See? It has my name and title on it!" she exclaimed proudly, and in the dim light, Roxas could see 'Xion Leonhart – The Love Critic' emblazoned on it.

"Come on, this ain't the best part yet!" Hayner urged excitedly, and he took Xion's hand, leading her up the helicopter. "Strife! Come _on_!"

"Right!" Roxas clenched his brand new phone tightly and climbed into the helicopter, loaded with champagne and some fancy-looking biscuits.

Hayner poured some champagne into a glass cup and handed it to Xion, before pouring one himself. "To dinner," he cheered, "and the lovely Ms Leonhart."

Xion smiled and nodded. "To dinner and-"

"To Ms Leonhart!" Roxas cheered back, even though he had absolutely no champagne with him. When the two just stared at him, Roxas sheepishly sunk back in his seat, turning away to the scenery outside, as the helicopter began to soar up.

"Where are we going, exactly?" Xion asked curiously, as she took a sip of champagne.

"My mansion. My residential chef will be cooking up a lovely array of international cuisine." Hayner replied, with an almost smug grin on his face. "It'll be so grand, even Strife can eat his fill!"

Roxas blinked and then he nodded. "Right, Bloom."

Xion grinned. "That would be lovely, Mr Bloom."

"Call me Hayner; it's no problem." Hayner smiled warmly at her. He looked at Roxas. "And you too, Rox."

"R-Rox?" Roxas sputtered out, before he laughed. "Sure thing, Hay."

* * *

"So, here it is; my mansion." Hayner flung open the doors and soon, an entourage of uniformed women swarmed over the two guests, practically grabbing at their coats.

"You look amazing, just like every date you go to!" Hayner exclaimed excitedly, as Xion took off her wool coat and handed it to the servants. Roxas found himself groped in every unimaginable way, and he soon gave in as well, exhausted. "I particularly liked the one with Mr Rex; it was just lovely, really."

Xion blinked at him, but she soon recovered and smiled. "Thank you very much."

Roxas had his tie ripped off and his jacket peeled off his body, so all he was wearing was a white shirt and his black pants. He watched as Hayner walked in front of them, guiding them to the dining room, and he rushed to Xion's side.

"You…don't post information about your outfits, do you?" Roxas queried, glancing at Hayner.

"I…don't…" Xion murmured, almost shakily, and she took a deep breath. "But we have to go along now, do we? We're virtually stuck here with nothing but a helicopter to escape, correct?"

Roxas was already zoning off, into his paranoid state of mind. What if Hayner had been stalking them all this time? Has he been following her all these times, even with Riku? Does he follow her back to her home? Did he have enough money to plant secret spy cameras everywhere? Or worse.

What if he saw Roxas kiss Xion?

"Roxas, you okay?" Xion nudged him worriedly.

Hayner popped out from the room. "Are you two coming?"

"Y-Yeah…" Roxas replied quietly, before the two slipped into the dining room.

* * *

The dinner happened to be the most terrifying meal of Roxas' life.

"So, Roxas, you tried dating Xion before, am I correct?" Hayner asked, almost too forcefully. "I didn't read about it in the newspapers, but…I have my sources…"

Xion simply nodded politely, while Roxas was perpetually frozen. "Yes, but it was rather late, so I made no mention of it."

"Was it good, then?" Hayner shot another question. He wriggled an eyebrow at Roxas. "Better than mine?"

"Uh…" Roxas started to panic. Yes, yes, he was a stalker. Just a while ago, he thought he heard Hayner asked Xion about her bra colour, and whether it matched her underwear…

Oh no. He wasn't just a stalker, he was a_ perverted stalker_!

So much for a bodyguard.

"I can't comment on that, I'm afraid," Xion replied coolly, as she took another sip of her freshly brewed tea. Oddly enough, it was her favourite brew and it tasted exactly like her aunt's secret tea…but she didn't tell Roxas that. He'd freak out, start sweating guns instead of bullets and provoke Hayner.

"Very well. Okay, so how's the food?"

Roxas gulped. Frankly, the food was horrible. Axel could cook much better than that, and that was saying something; Axel always took the liberty of burning everything. Which was why Marluxia put him in charge of cleaning up the café, and helping Roxas.

"It's…unique." Roxas blurted out. He recalled once, when Naminé signed him up for dating lessons, the instructor told the men that no matter how your girlfriend's cooking turned out, say something vague, like 'special' or 'it tastes surprising' so you wouldn't be lying.

NOT that Roxas was gay, or anything. Hayner wasn't even his girlfriend!

"You cook for a living, don't you? Tell me something I don't know."

Roxas furrowed his eyebrows. "Well, the chicken is overcooked…" he commented, and it was true, but when he saw Hayner's eyes beginning to glow (for no reason) he gulped and added on hurriedly, "but the spices balance it out quite surprisingly."

Xion raised an eyebrow at Roxas, and the blonde started to panic again. If only Axel were here; he'd say something like 'the poor chickie's sort of blah. Got chilli? Oh, wait, sorry, I just need Alice to torch the corpse before I eat the chicken…now _that's _food. Did I mention I'm engaged to my lighter, Alice?' or something ridiculous so he wouldn't be so panicked.

Hayner nodded thoughtfully, as though what Roxas said was truly important. "Perhaps…" he muttered, and he called for his chef. "Chef Milo!"

Instantly, a dwarf-sized chef ran up to Hayner's side. "Yes, dear sir?"

"You overcooked the chicken. You're fired."

Roxas widened his eyes in horror again. All because he said that…

"Wait!" he blurted out. "I-I already said, the chicken's good!" To prove his point, he heaped half of the chicken on his plate and defiantly shoveled the chicken in his mouth, trying not to cry. He felt like the time when Marluxia's grandmother asked him to taste all the different foods, and then asked him to chew it up for 'dear ol' granny because, well, I said so!' It was horrible.

Xion simply stared at him in amazement as he took another mouthful of chicken. Her heart felt squashed watching him suffer. She closed her eyes, switching to her business mode, and banishing all her emotions for a while, before she opened her eyes again, fully composed.

"Chef Milo," Xion called out, and both the chef and Hayner turned to her. She gave him her professional smile. "I must say that your Caesar salad is excellent!" Xion took a lettuce from the bowl, and chewed on it. She was quick enough to pick the one without any of the dressing on it; the dressing was too sour to her taste.

"It's such a pity that you're sacking him, dear Hayner. Don't you agree, Roxas? He is a wonderful chef. I can taste his passion for cooking through his delightful dishes." Xion commented, feigning a thoughtful look. She glanced at Roxas, who managed to swallow most of the chicken in his mouth.

"Y-Yeah, he's good." Roxas replied, and he gave a few vigorous nods.

Xion smiled at Roxas, and turned to Hayner. "Don't _you _agree, Hayner?"

The man had no choice but to agree. He nodded silently, and sent the chef away. "Very well, then. Where were we?"

* * *

"Have you taken down any notes regarding the date, Xion?" Hayner asked politely.

Xion looked up from her dessert, which was red bean sago, a Chinese dessert. The raven-haired woman nodded. "Yes, I certainly have," she replied, and she set down her spoon. Roxas was picking at his food; if Hayner saw that… "I would like to take my leave now. Hayner, it has been a delightful dinner. The article will be out…maybe Saturday?"

Hayner looked on as Xion and Roxas both rose, waiting for Hayner to lead them home. Then, much to Roxas' horror, he started to laugh. "Oh, dear, would you look at the time? Xion, you can stay here for a night; I'd take your bodyguard home?"

"No way!" Roxas snapped, before he could stop himself. Hayner glared at him, waiting for a response. "I'm her bodyguard; I stay with her whenever she goes! I-I'll go over mountains if you kidnap her somewhere!"

And he said that before he could stop himself. Xion blushed furiously, while Hayner simply laughed again.

"Oh, silly, I don't kidnap beautiful and capable women such as the Love Critic herself! Well, I suppose I could give you a r-"

"We're not staying; I'm terribly sorry for that." Xion briskly cut him off. "Please send us back."

Hayner glowered for a moment, and then he recovered almost immediately. "Very well, then, please follow Madame Tootsy there." He gestured to a plump, rosy-cheeked woman, who gave a stiff bow. "Looking forward to the article."

Roxas shuddered at the grave, cold voice that was far from Hayner's initial tone. Hayner was equally matched with Xion's cold reply, "I hope you do."

He let Xion hold his arm as they followed Madame Tootsy closely, leaving Hayner in his large dining room.

* * *

"Well, that was scary…" Roxas muttered. "He even asked you if your undergarments match…"

Xion gave him an incredulous look. "No, he didn't. And in case you're curious, they are. Black lace, if you're _that_ curious."

"W-What?"

She laughed. "Just kidding!" Xion teased, squeezing his arm playfully. "But it's true, you know. I _am _wearing that…"

Roxas blushed madly. "Uh…okay. Should I…keep that in mind?"

"No, you _dummy_!"

They both started to laugh together, as they followed Madame Tootsy. She opened the grand doors, and the helicopter was there, with the pilot ready to go.

"Excuse me, Ms Leonhart," Madame Tootsy took Xion's hand and patted it sadly, "but I would like to warn you about Mr Bloom. If you write anything bad…" she trailed off and turned away, and it wasn't long before Roxas heard her sob.

Roxas slowly guided Xion into the helicopter, retrieving her coat, his jacket and his tie. He let her go up the helicopter first, before he stepped in as well. He was shaking,.

"I'm not letting that affect my article. He was simply showing off his wealth. Nothing more than that." Xion declared, as she began to scribble a few notes of the date.

"What do you think he'll do?"

"Stalk me somemore?" Xion shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh yes, he already did that."

Roxas felt the helicopter fly up into the skies, pitch-black, studded with countless stars. "You know, I used to tell Naminé that when I get married, I'll be on the biggest star ever, so she couldn't annoy me anymore, but she'll see how fantastic my marriage would be, and I told her I'll live happily ever after."

Xion snorted, something that seemed rather gross, yet endearing in some way. It was getting rather common for Xion to forget her manners and relax when she was around Roxas. "How old were you, five?"

"Actually, ten, so Naminé just laughed at me." Roxas admitted shyly, as he continued to look up at the stars.

"It'd be nice though, to get married way above the earth, in the skies and among the stars. A five-star review to anyone who brings me on a date to a star!" Xion joked, as she took out her Shio's Bubbly Apple and poured some into a glass cup provided in the helicopter.

"Yeah, just two people in love with nothing to fear…paradise, perhaps," Roxas mused, and he took another empty cup to pour some for himself. He picked up two ice cubes from the miniature fridge and plonked one in Xion's cup and one in his.

Xion smiled, taking a sip of her drink. "It'd be nice too, if they just lived there. No one would get jealous, or have an affair…"

"Jealousy is okay, as long as the two of them make up after that…but having an affair is just wrong…" Roxas murmured. "It's the hardships that make relationships stronger. Don't face it alone, face it with your soul mate!"

She nodded her head, downing the last bit of her drink. "If only I knew who my soul mate was…"

Roxas smiled at her. "You'll find the guy soon. He could be anywhere! Like, in South Africa!"

"Roxas, are we talking about the lion date again? It was a traumatizing experience I don't exactly want to relieve…"

The blonde grinned. "Sorry. But it's true! Maybe you already met him, and you just haven't realized it yet!"

_Roxas_. "Yeah, maybe. But I'll never know, right?"

Roxas shuffled next to her and slung his arm around her shoulder reassuringly. "You'll know. It'll be like a lightning bolt!" He clapped his hands once to add to the effect. "Like, BAM! And you suddenly see your soul mate, just like that! You may not know it yourself, but I promise, your heart will know."

He tapped the place where her heart was a few times. "You'll know it. Trust me!"

Before Xion could say anything, the helicopter grinded to a halt. "We're back! We escaped the evil stalker!" Roxas cheered. He earned a glare from the pilot, and the two exited the helicopter hastily. "Now, let's get you home. You must be tired, huh?"

Xion yawned, her body's answer to his question. He chuckled. "I thought so. I'll drop you off; I'll return the car tomorrow after I visit Axel tomorrow. He says they're gonna let him out, so maybe I'll pick you up and cook you something at the café?"

She yawned again. "Mmh, sure. Do you do piggy backs? I'm tired." She assumed a mock bossy tone. "Strife, carry me to the car!"

Xion stretched out her arms, and Roxas bent down for her to lean on his back. He lifted her up with relative ease, and carried her to the car. "Yes, ma'am!"

* * *

"Psst, Xion, wake up. We're here already…" Roxas whispered, nudging her gently.

Xion woke up and blinked repeatedly. She yawned again and stretched. "Oh, okay."

Roxas got out of the car, and helped her with her bag. He rummaged through her bag for the house keys, and opened the door. He left the bag on the sofa as Xion shuffled in.

"Go on and sleep first. I'll be here in the afternoon." Roxas gave Xion a grin. "Goodnight, Xion."

He closed the door behind him, leaving Xion in her large, cold house. She was tired, but…there was something missing. His warmth? His smile? Oh, her head was filled with thoughts of her blonde bodyguard.

She stumbled towards the door, her eyes half-open. Xion flung open the door, where she saw Roxas tying his shoelaces at her doorstep. Upon seeing her, he yelped and fell backwards onto the ground. "Xion! Aren't you going to-"

"Uh, Roxas…" she muttered, and she rubbed her eyes. "Can I sleep at your place?"

Maybe it was his startled look, or maybe it was the cute grin that came afterwards, the warmth coursing through her body, her loneliness fading away. "Okay, come on, Shio…" Roxas replied. She gave him the most sincere and natural grin that she never knew existed as she stretched out her arms to be carried, playfulness scrawled on her face.

The blonde laughed as he lifted her up, bridal-style, and he walked towards the car. Xion found the car keys in his hands and pried his hands open to open the door for him. He slid her into the passenger seat and soon, she was fast asleep again.

* * *

Xion stumbled out of the car, and this time she hugged his arm and leaned into his shoulder as Roxas made his way to the apartment. He walked straight into his bedroom and flipped the pillow the other way so Xion wouldn't need to smell his sweat and saliva stained all over. Defiantly, she flipped it back and snuggled straight into it, a smug smile on her lips.

"Okay, Xion, you can let go of me now…" Roxas tried to wriggle his arm out of Xion's grasp but instead, she yanked him down, and he found himself stumbling on top of her, their lips nearly touching again.

"Goodnight, Roxas," she murmured into his face before she fell asleep again. Roxas found himself in a strange position; on top of her and unable to move anywhere except beside her on his bed.

He was about to roll off her when he noticed her flushed cheeks. He patted them gently, smiling to himself, before he did the unthinkable.

He kissed her on the lips. Willingly.

Wait, or was it just an instinct? Before Roxas could pull away, he found Xion kissing him back, her half-open eyes gleaming at him. She let go of his arm, and Roxas found himself unable to move away. She slowly let her hands creep up behind his neck, into his blonde hair, pushing him closer to her, kissing a little more, bit by bit…

Roxas relaxed for some reason; he found himself kissing her back as well, deepening the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her up into a sitting position. She crawled into his lap, their lips not breaking contact.

Perhaps they were just tired, or perhaps they really did like each other that way, but they held each other, lips touching as they both fell asleep together, just like that.

* * *

Shio's Bubbly Apple does wonders for hearts.

* * *

**Awesome! I'm done! Well, the kiss scene was awkward. BUUUUT I did it anyway. You can send in my Bad Kiss Award now. Thanks for reading, and Merry Belated Christmas! I dressed up as Santa Claus that night and greeted some people in my suit.**

**BUT WAIT! THERE'S AN EXTRA SIDE STORY!

* * *

**"Thank you, o holy ceiling from above..." Axel mumbled, and he grinned. His lighter, Alice, was on the table, sitting in a comfy-looking handphone couch, the handphone nowhere to be seen.

"My handphone's on the floor, grovelling at Alice's bottom."

Sorry. My bad. Continue?

"Right, okay. Anyway, I've been reading reviews that Alice is by far, the most prominent lighter ever, am I correct?" Axel asked, looking at you questioningly. The author would like to advise you to nod. Very vigorously. Because it's just you, him and the lighter; anything can go wrong.

"EXACTLY!" Axel exclaimed. You nodded vigorously, just as the ceiling author has specified. Axel continued, "So, the ceiling is rather keen on making a side story on Alice and I. How we met; all that sappy love and all, but it's different!"

Tell them why, Axel...just like how you rehearsed in my mind over and over again.

Roxas appeared. "It's true, he just kept on saying it until I told him to shut up. Then the ceiling decided to summon clones of herself in ultimate fangirl mode, but the stupid redhead didn't stop-"

"Whose lighter is it, Roxas? Yours or mine?"

"I...I don't _have _a lighter, Axel."

"Exactly. So shut up." Axel coughed. "Anyway, as I was saying, if you review really nicely, the ceiling may put it in this story once she remembers my history with Alice."

I'm not the ceiling...

"Shut up, ceiling. Anyway, if you want it, the ceiling wouldn't mind putting it as a separate one shot about me and Alice, but in that case, to add more depth, she'll put Roxas in. And if it's really _really _popular, she'll make it into a multi-chaptered story of all my lighters!"

I NEVER AGREED TO THAT! You have a few lighters; I agree! But...how many lighters _do _you have?

"Mmmmm, just a few..."

Then, Xion and Naminé popped by, with four boxes altogether. They dumped the contents on the floor and-

"OH! Emma! And dear Lassie! Why, hello ladies!" Axel greeted, then glared at Xion and Naminé. "You _disturbed _them."

Xion shook her head. "You have _got _to be kidding me."

Naminé rolled her eyes. Then, she turned to face you. For some reason, you realised that you were strapped to a chair with tons of rope. The ceiling, having no hands, was unable to save you from Axel's clutches, therefore...uh, you were warned.

"Poor thing. Axel, just end their misery already. I bet they won't review after you mentally scarred them..." she scanned you apprehensively, before adding, "unless they're Axel fangirls. In that case, they would still review."

And Roxas fangirls too. GO ROXAS!

"Axel, please end this! The ceiling has just implied that she's a Roxas fangirl; what if she collapses on me in excitement?" Roxas whined.

...That wasn't a bad idea.

"OKAY, OKAY!" Axel yelled in response. He burnt away the rope with Alice's help. "Just review already! And tell the ceiling what you think!"

Good, good, thank goodness. This was getting weird.

* * *

**SO! You heard Axel. And the ceiling. THINK OF MEEEE! **


	10. Revelation

_In her dream, the first good dream in a while, she was six, by the swings. She recognized the place; she met Riku here._

_Riku…but he wasn't here. No sign of him._

"_Do you want me to push you on the swing?" Suddenly she's 23 again, and the man's voice calmed her. It made her smile._

_She tilted her head upwards, and true enough, she met with a mass of blonde, a pair of sapphire eyes staring back down at her, his lips meeting hers.

* * *

_

"Nghhhh…" Roxas groaned as he opened his eyes, and he found himself face to face with his employer.

He just stared at her for a moment, trying to recall something that would aid him in answering the million-dollar question – _why _was _Xion _in his bed?

As though she heard him, Xion snatched Roxas' blanket from him forcefully. He looked at himself. His suit was crumpled, half-open…

His eyes widened. No...he didn't-!

Roxas immediately took a peek underneath the covers, and heaved a sigh of relief. She was fully clothed and there was nothing to indicate that they…never mind.

The blonde rolled off the bed, carefully trying not to wake her up. He rubbed his eyes and attempted to remember again, as he flung open the door-

"ROXAS!" Naminé and Axel screamed in unison, tackling him to the floor. Axel took a peek at his bed, and gasped.

"You did _noooot_." Axel hissed, shooting Roxas a grin that suggested a lot of things Roxas probably didn't think about.

"No, I didn't!" Roxas retorted, but in a harsh whisper. The three of them watched her make a weird noise, move a little, before continuing her sleep.

Naminé yanked Roxas out of the room by his ear, with Axel following, a huge grin on the redhead's face. Roxas realized that he overslept by 20 minutes; he was supposed to pick Axel up…

"YEOW!" Roxas yelped as Naminé twisted his ear in the most unimaginable way possible. Axel simply sat down with some plain bread, holding out Alice to burn the bread a little. He then began to eat, watching the siblings in interest.

"How _dare _you sleep with Xion!" Naminé cried out angrily, bursting into tears. "And you…you…!"

"I-I didn't sle-"

She instead hugged him so tightly he started to cough. "And you didn't even _tell_ me…!"

Axel stood up, dumped his burnt toast on the beanbag and went up to them. "Aw, group hug! C'mere, you two!" And then he hugged them both, and lit up Alice. "We'll be by your side, Roxy, you and Xion and the baby…"

"W-What _baby_?"

Naminé and Axel pulled away from him and exchanged incredulous glances. "Well, Roxy, I suppose I can still give you the birds and the bees talk. You see, when two people sleep together in an intimate fashion and give in to their ultimate sexual desire, they produce an egg and a worm, which we call a _sperm_ and the-"

"I didn't do _anything _like that!" Roxas retorted, his face already red, but his ear a few shades darker from Naminé's twist.

"…Nami, check the Sleeping Beauty for a baby bump. I'll scour the vicinity for a pregnancy kit." Axel instructed. Then, he paused. "…I'll need Alice along, in case they have questions about the pregnancy…"

Naminé instead stood there, her disappointment showing immediately. Roxas would've felt bad and usually, with such a face he would've done whatever she expected him to do…unless it was having a baby. "So…you _didn't _do anything?"

"Nothing! I promise! I'll swear on…on Alice!" Roxas cried out, and Axel stopped, already wearing one boot. He walked back to Roxas, still with the boot on.

"You're making a _serious _mistake if you're lying, because by swearing on the sacred lighter you are also saying that whatever you just said was the truth because if it isn't…" Axel trailed off, giving him a glare.

"It's the truth. We were…tired." Roxas mumbled, as he shuffled over to the kitchen to make himself some coffee. He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to make it a tad bit neater. "I don't even remember anything last night. All I _did _remember was…that stalker, Hayner…"

"A stalker?" Axel lit up.

"Hayner?" Naminé echoed. "As in, Hayner Bloom?" She rummaged through her rucksack and picked out a glossy magazine.

Roxas read the title out loud. "Young Entrepreneur Is Rich And Hot?" He furrowed his eyebrows. "B-But he's a stalker and he's crap!"

"Tell that to the Hayner fan club at Twilight Art Academy and you'll never leave there alive…" Naminé whispered, and they both shuddered. "He visited our school once and bought a painting of mine, so I thought he wasn't that bad."

Axel frowned, flipping at the magazine, and then he suddenly lit up. "Oh look! Roxy, Nami, look! Larxene dearest and Olette Starr are slated to star in an upcoming drama series by…" and then he gasped as he drawled, "…the Evil One With Thy Knife…"

Riku.

"Plot currently unavailable, but Starr will be singing…" Axel read aloud, but his handphone started to ring.

His ringtone was rather unique – a series of explosions followed by Axel's shrill cry crying out 'BURN, BABY!', and it was one of the many reasons why one should never hang out with Axel. Once, in the middle of the night, Axel's phone rang and Roxas was so alarmed that he ran out of the building with nothing on except his bath slippers and his boxer shorts. Thankfully, the building was still intact, and so was part of Roxas' dignity.

Another time, he was arrested. Axel made everything worse by threatening the police officers with Lessie (his _other _lighter) but Roxas calmed them down when he told them that Axel was too crazy to harm anyone, with Lessie as proof. They were let off with a warning…and were laughed at when Axel snarled at them for 'abusing your lighters by using them on flimsy cigarettes that'll kill you like dear ol' Tessa and Gramps!'

Tessa was his _other _lighter, used by Axel's grandfather so many times for a cigarette that eventually, he died because he smoked too much. In his will, he clearly stated that 'my grandboy's Tessy shall be in my coffin'.

Axel cried that night, though he'd never admit it to anyone.

The redhead sighed as he answered the phone. "Resident Pyromaniac speaking…yes, this _is _Sir Blitz you're speaki- oh. Right…hold it, _poops_, but I didn't _run away from the hospital_!" He stole a glance at Roxas, who was widening his eyes, very slowly. "I mean, I…I had an accomplice!"

This time, Roxas glared at his sister, who shrugged.

"And…uh…no, I didn't take the medicine, it made me sleepy…oh, it was designed to do that? SCREW THIS!" And he promptly hung up the phone angrily.

Roxas was shaking. "Y-You…ran away from the _HOSPITAL_?"

The house phone rang. Roxas answered it and when he heard the calm voice on the other line, he snapped, "Yes, Mr Axel Blitz will be returning to the hospital with his _accomplice_, and yes, you may medicate him according to your needs. Yes, I appreciate that, thank you."

He shot a death glare at Naminé, and then at Axel. The man groaned. "Okay, okay, I'll drive…" Naminé smiled, picked up her bag and gave Roxas a peck on the cheek.

"See you, Roxy," she chirped merrily, only to be met with a grumpy grunt from her brother. She huffed, rolled her eyes, and then followed Axel out of the door.

"Don't forget to call me!" Axel reminded cheerfully.

"I'll do that once they do a check-up on your mental welfare!" Roxas replied. He smirked; he had agreed to let the nurses do it for him.

There was silence as Axel closed the door, but Roxas heard Axel begging, "Pleaaaase, Naminé, drop by the bookstore and get me some ultra thick encyclopedia…and glasses!"

Gosh, Axel was such an _idiot_, though he could be smart if he wanted to. Axel's grandma used to tell Roxas that to make Axel do his homework, she promised that they'd burn their neighbours' house if Axel topped his class that year…and he _did_!

When they left, Roxas heaved a sigh of relief. He sat down and tried to recall what exactly happened.

_I kissed her._

Wait, wasn't that _before _Hayner? And then…he made Roxas feel bad…nearly...

He nearly sacked his chef. Yep, and Roxas and Xion saved him…sort of. And…they left…with…

Tootsy. Yep. That was her. She warned him about Hayner, they were on a helicopter, he sent her ho-

"OH…!" Roxas widened his eyes in realization.

He made himself a cup of coffee, toasted some bread and started to read the newspapers in utter silence.

* * *

Axel bumped into Larxene when he tried to leave the hospital again.

"Oh, hey missy!" he greeted, and he was about to leave when she stepped in front of him and aimed her taser at his face.

"Get _back _in the damn hospital, or I'll taser you there."

Axel sighed. "I never thought I'd do this, but…"

And then he burst into song.

_I am in misery_

_There ain't nobody who can comfort me, oh yeah_

_Why won't you answer me?_

_The silence is slowly killi_-!

ZAAAAAP!

Just like that, he was taser'd. "There, your _stupid _answer!" she spat, as she forcefully dragged the redhead into the hospital, where a horde of nurses in charge of Axel applauded.

* * *

"You have _got _to be kidding me, Kisagi!" Olette shouted, nearly hitting him. "What is this, a _joke_? We already had a photo shoot, and now you're going to change the damn _plot_?"

Riku took a casual sip of his tea. "You'll still play the lead role, along with Valentina. She's coming over soon; she went to the hospital to see her grandmother." As he flipped through his new script, he frowned. "Though I _did _remember that Valentina doesn't talk to her grandmother…and it's quite a coincidence that it is the _same_ hospital where Mr Blitz stays."

The brunette glowered. "Well, honestly, I don't give a _damn _about my co-star!" she spat, as she flipped through the script. Her eyes softened at the first page. "Wait…Roxas?"

"He'll be helping us with the plot. You'll be a barista in a café. Hayner Bloom will be a manager who hears you sing, and then he hires you as the voice behind Valentina." Riku explained, as Olette flipped through the script.

"And...has he _agreed_?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We'll be dropping by the set and surprising him. Besides, I already contacted Mr Scythe. He instantly agreed, so whether Roxas wants to or not, he'll have to do it anyway. Also…" Riku turned his laptop screen to Olette. The brunette leaned in, and saw an online article that announced, to the entire world, that the set for the new drama series would be at Oblivion Café. With the address bolded and highlighted.

* * *

Roxas was taking a rather large gulp of coffee when Xion tottered out of the room. "Wh- XION?" he burst out, and choked on his coffee. Then, he accidentally leaned too much on his chair, so he fell backwards, throwing the newspapers he was reading up in the air. And then, to make everything worse, he also threw his coffee mug up in the air and the coffee spilt all over his hair. Also, the coffee mug broke.

Xion rubbed her eyes wearily. "Uh, morning?" she gave him a small smile. Roxas started to sweep up the mug pieces and tried not to look at Xion.

"You…you really _are _wearing black lace…!" he cried out in disbelief.

Xion realized that she was in a complete mess. Her bra was peeping out from her creased dress. She blushed furiously. "Um, sorry!" She shoved her sleeve up, and when it didn't work, Xion ran into the bedroom, presumably to straighten herself up.

The blonde dumped the remains of his coffee and his mug into the dustbin, and was about to take out the mop when the phone rang. He frowned as he picked it up. "Yes, Mr Scythe?"

_Roxy dear, you'll have to come down to the café, ASAP! I know I gave you some time to earn money as Ms Leonhart's bodyguard, but this is simply too much to handle! Tons and piles of customers! _

_Tons_? Roxas couldn't believe his ears. "W-What? Really? That's great! B-But how?"

There was a hesitant pause. _Oh, Roxas, firstly…call me Marluxia. And secondly…the reason why the customers are flocking in…it's to see you._

"…Do I _know _anyone there?" the blonde asked nervously, poking at his bread. "It's not my birthday or anything…"

_No, no, sweetkins, it's not your birthday! It's because…I accepted an intriguing offer._

"_Intriguing _offer?" he echoed. His heart nearly escaped his throat when he saw Xion walking out, wearing one of his shirts and shorts…or boxers to be precise, but he didn't bother telling her to take it off. For now, that is. What would people _think _if she walked out wearing his boxers?

_Yes, um, it involves you. I hope you don't mind, but Mr Kisagi was rather convincing. _

Roxas froze. Here was Xion sitting next to him and watching his petrified face with absolute amusement, and he had just received news that he was going to do as a pink-haired man says because Xion's stabbing ex-boyfriend from hell said so.

Why couldn't he be _normal _for once?

"…And what exactly is the task?" he questioned, as he grabbed Axel's used napkin and a pen. He started to test the ink, but nothing came out. So he hurriedly tried to shake it violently, so much so that he accidentally broke the stupid pen…and then realized that it was Axel's new lighter disguised as a stupid pen.

Xion made a gurgling sound as she handed him a genuine pen, while she examined Axel's new lighter.

"Aly…Alice's BFF…" Xion read aloud, and then realization hit her. "How sweet of Axel to give Alice a new girlfriend to play with!"

_It wouldn't affect your timetable at all. Today, Mr Kisagi and his crew will be coming down. He'll be checking the café and he'll brief you further on the details of the drama series he's do-_

"A DRAMA SERIES IN THE CAFÉ?" Roxas blurted out, shot Xion a nervous smile, and then returned back to the conversation. Xion was still trying to figure out how to piece the pen lighter back together, but her face was now serious – she knew what was happening.

_Yes. Please don't shout in my ears! Goodness, don't you know how sensitive my ears are? Why, they prick when a pin drops! _

"Erm, sorry."

_Now, anyway, as I was saying. Over the next few days, the actresses of the show will be observing how you work. Since I presume Axel is coming back the day after tomorrow, I'll have to temporarily promote him to barista. So…along with the ladies, you'll also have to teach Axel, and make very sure he learns everything! I don't care if you use a lighter demonstration or something; just make sure Axel becomes star barista by the time I come back!_

Roxas blinked. "Um, you're going away…?"

A laugh. _Oh yes, forgot to tell you! Silly me. Anyway, I'm going away to China because my grandmother wants me to pay my respects to her husband's ancestors. Plus I have to bring back the man's parents. I mean, I know right? He's 29! Jeez, Rox, I bet even you would be responsible enough to take care of your parents…if…_

Marluxia knew about Roxas' situation. It started when Axel wanted a job, and ended with Marluxia crying, not because he was threatened by the lighter, but because to achieve the job, Axel talked about Roxas, and how much he wanted to help despite his glaring flaws. Which won over Marluxia completely, though he never treated Roxas differently, because Axel mentioned that 'Roxas would poop his pants if you start talking about it'.

Marluxia soon recovered. _So, anyway, I am going to promote you. To Assistant Manager, and Acting Manager of the Oblivion Café! Wheee! Pop the champagne, bring on the confetti! Whooo!_

"S-So, i-it's um, _permanent_?"

_Of course! HOOHA! What did you expect? ...Oh, right, but Axel's temporarily a barista because, well, I don't trust him! But you…well, you've been a rather valuable employee. Demyx has disappeared for a week now, and I find Zexion's moodiness rather contagious, especially to the customers. And he rarely ever serves them now, because he delivers the ingredients. So…yup. You can start work today. Meet Mr Kisagi and his crew at 12. They actually want a meal, but I don't need to worry about anything~_

_Bleeeeeeeep._

"…wow." Roxas slumped back in his chair, obviously dumbstruck. He turned to Xion. "I'll um, drop you off at your house first…or your workplace, wherever is convenient. Today I have to be at the café…"

"And that has something to do with Riku?" she asked, almost too sweetly.

"Um…" he sighed and frowned, "yes. He's using the café as a setting for his drama, and…having lunch there today."

Xion nodded understandingly. "Okay, I get it. Must be pretty cool, huh, being promoted to Assistant Manager…"

Roxas beamed. "Yup. It's fun! I mean, I get to boss people around, and cook!" He then lit up at Xion. "I could prepare takeaway for you from now on! I used to do this for Naminé, but she called me childish and I never want her asking me to cook for her ever!"

"Your last statement just supported her view that you are in fact, _childish_." Xion watched as Roxas poured her a cup of coffee. "But I'd love some takeaway."

The blonde grinned, and then he rushed to the kitchen. He showed her a few sets of lunchboxes, all of them printed. A Pikachu lunchbox, a Hello Kitty lunchbox, a lunchbox filled with cats… "So, which one do you want?" he asked eagerly.

Xion looked at all of them, and then she burst out laughing so hard she nearly choked on her coffee. "Any one of them! I now see why Naminé called you childish!"

* * *

In the Love Critic's brand new Hello Kitty lunchbox were some fried eggs, a small slab of chicken with gravy on top, a small lump of potato and some carrots. She also carried a matching Hello Kitty flask, filled with Roxas' mango coffee mix.

"I'll drive you to your place first, right?" he asked, checking his watch.

"Yup, and I'll change, take my laptop, and then you'll drive me back to work, then you'll go to the café and once Riku leaves I can come over, right?" Xion asked, as they very quickly drove out. Roxas was rather excited about his first day at work, but he was still wearing a plain shirt, jeans and sneakers. Xion had her heels in a plastic bag, and she was wearing Roxas' oversized shirt – it was unbuttoned and served as a rather short coat, or a long jacket. She was still wearing her dress, though it looked rather messy.

As Roxas drove her car home, they spotted a rather familiar car, and an even more familiar tall man leaning against the sleek frame of said car. Standing next to him was a man Roxas had gained a phobia of.

"T-T-The _stalker_!" Roxas hissed, as he hesitantly drove Xion in front of her house, trying to ignore the glares of the two men.

Xion rolled her eyes and stormed out of the car, and Roxas summoned his courage to get out. He slowly escorted Xion to the door, trying very hard to avoid eye contact with the two men who were now trying to burn holes in his body with their scary stares.

When Xion safely got into the house, he turned to them and tried to act as bodyguardish as possible. "Um…you need to leave now."

Riku didn't even blink. "Mr Bloom, you heard the bodyguard."

"No…I mean _both _of you." Roxas gulped. Well, he looked like a 15-year-old with his jeans and sneakers. Not really bodyguard material. Why, Xion would've done a better job.

"I'm here to drive Xion to her workplace. I need an article printed out." Riku handed him a thick stack of paper. "And besides, you're also working for me now, so as a command from your employer, I suggest that you head over to the café and handle all the screaming girls there."

Hayner grinned. "And while doing that, you can make them some of the famous meals you've been supplying to Ms Leonhart."

Shit. He _has _been stalking!

"Oh, and maybe some of that drink that you made for her." Riku added smugly.

_THEY'RE ALL STALKERS!  
_

To make matters worse, Riku handed Roxas what seemed to be information about Roxas himself. "People have been seeing a certain blonde with the Love Critic recently. Girls are frantic because eyewitnesses have said that the blonde is actually quite _dashing_." He said it so icily Roxas wasn't very sure if he was being sarcastic or mean. "I'm simply handing a tip-off. Besides, if the mentioned blonde is _single_, and has a major role in the most anticipated drama ever…" he eyed Roxas curiously for a reaction.

"Um…"

Xion burst out of the door just in time, and before anyone could say anything, she had stormed into her car, blatantly put on her seatbelt for show, and then crossed her arms at both men. Roxas just stared at her in wide-eyed amusement, and then he finally realized what she meant. He hopped into the car with her, smirking at her.

She scowled at him. "What?"

"And you call _me _childish…" Roxas smiled at her before they drove off.

* * *

"As long as Roxas knows the implication of this article, he'll be forced to leave Xion's side." Riku stated, as he and Hayner got into the car.

"Do you really like her that much?" Hayner asked, cocking an eyebrow and he buckled up.

He didn't bother to reply. Rhetorical questions need not be answered.

* * *

"I heard everything from inside," Xion calmly said, squeezing his shoulder as Roxas sighed.

"I just hope they don't recognize me. Really. Um, we're here, aren't we?"

Xion looked up at her office. "Yup. Okay, just leave the car here; someone will drive it away for you. Do you need a road map or anything…?"

"Nah, I know this place fairly well, so I'll walk to the café." Roxas and Xion got out. He handed over her bag, along with her lunchbox and flask. He flashed her a cheeky grin as he did so. "Have a great lunch!" he called up, as she walked into the office.

"I will!" Xion replied cheerily, smiling to herself as she left him to be.

Xxx

Instead of walking to the café and admiring the scenery, Roxas found himself running to the café and screaming at the scenery.

"SIR! MISTER! WHAT'S YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH MS LEONHART?"

"HAVE YOU EVER HAD A GIRLFRIEND?"

"ARE YOU THE MYSTERY DATE MS LEONHART LIKED?"

He didn't reply, because this was the first time he had run so fast…wait, actually, it was the second. The first time was in high school, when someone told a really nerdy girl that Roxas had a major crush on her. His suspenders didn't help and his glasses fell off.

The blonde soon found himself lost, because he didn't notice where he was headed. He stopped in his tracks, trying to recall where the café was.

Too late. Soon, reporters swarmed him, shoving microphones up his nose and down his throat, trying to elicit some form of noise from him. Someone shoved a camera in his eye.

They started to shout at him weird questions, and Roxas suddenly felt 15 again, when Naminé and Axel thought he kissed someone. They strapped him to a chair and shone a light in his eyes like in the movies. It didn't help when he nearly started to cry in their faces.

Suddenly, someone started to scream, because her microphone caught on fire. Roxas lit up as the reporters attempted to douse it.

Axel popped out from the crowd. The redhead was hard to miss. "ROX!" he called out, and he drove his car away from the crowd. Naminé flung open the door of the car, hitting a few reporters.

Roxas rolled his eyes. They wanted him to do it like in the movies. He lunged for the opening and rolled into the backseat. Naminé crawled over him and slammed the door shut, accidentally trapping the burnt microphone.

"Hey, Axel! Look, it's Britney!" Naminé cheered, as she unraveled the new lighter's guise. It was a lighter disguised as a microphone.

The redhead grinned as they drove past the screaming reporters, but then halted to a stop as a swarm of girls nearly threw themselves at a car. Axel drew down the window to greet them. "Hello, ladies. All, um, tens of you."

They just screamed in his face. Axel drove slowly, and soon, Roxas found the reporters behind, in droves of cars much cooler than their own.

"Axel! Drive! NOW!" Roxas commanded, and Axel slowly drove away.

"To INDIA!" Axel cheered.

"…WHAT?" Roxas shouted back in horror.

He simply shrugged. "I mean, no one will know us there, won't they? We could start up a lighter shop!"

"…J-Just drive to the café, please!" Roxas whined, and Axel rolled his eyes.

"Fine, fine. Don't blame _me _when India's lighter industry starts to boom!" Axel spat, before sullenly driving.

"Oh yeah, why are you out of the hospital again?"

Axel and Naminé both gulped. "Um…we watched the news…" Naminé trailed off, biting her lip.

Roxas furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "And?"

Axel rolled his eyes. "We saw a commentary on 'The Love Critic's Bodyguard – New Love Interest?' They were comparing you with a dude called Brad Pitt. And then because Naminé heard his name, she screamed and we switched back to that dumb channel, and then they were comparing your eyes and his, and it got freaky when they said that in front of our apartment. And then they followed Xion's car. And man, Xion looked _great _in your shirt, and you looked like some unshaven _hooligan _or something. So they followed you guys, and then they zoomed in on Naminé's lunchbox and then we were all, 'Oh man, Roxas the child-enator!' but then after that they said they were gonna ask you some questions since you walked, and then they realized that tons of other news channels were gonna do so too, so it got really ugly, and dude, you had pretty good eyes there!"

Roxas was already trying not to throw up. He was on the news channel and he didn't _see_?

"Um, well, to console you, Roxas, we recorded it. Just for keepsake. In case you marry Angelina Jolie. Or one of the Pussycat Dolls!" Naminé comforted Roxas.

"Woah, Nam-ster, why the _heck _would he date a _Pussycat Doll_? I mean, come on, be a little _realistic_ here. Rox, go to England, and marry one of their princesses. I bet they'll love you. You _may _need to adjust, but still. I can be Lord Axel of Thy Kingdom of Thee Awesomeness Of Fire sort of thing. Or DUKE!" Axel exclaimed excitedly.

"Axel, if you were knighted there, the world's going to end in January."

"HEY! In some language, 'Axel' means 'King of Peace'. Now bow down to me, or I'll burn you."

* * *

They finally reached the café, with Demyx and Zexion already working. Roxas and Axel hastily entered the shop, with Axel making sure everyone stayed out of the way by using his pen-lighter and microphone-lighter. "Aly and Britney make a perfect pair!" Axel cooed, when they finally entered the café. It wasn't even opening hours yet, and there were queues.

Roxas blinked at Zexion, who was wearing a shirt with a smiley face that read 'I am not as emo as you think', and Demyx, who was bringing out new chairs and tables. He started to clean them thoroughly.

"Yo, Dem!" Axel greeted, and high-fived the man. Then, Axel stopped. "Wait, didn't you say you went to Antartica to live in an igloo?"

"Nah, the polar bears chased me out. Didn't want an igloo there."

"You should've taken one of my lighters!" Axel groaned.

Demyx was an equally eccentric man. He had dirty blonde hair, and like Zexion, he was a head taller than Roxas.

"They even asked me to pay them rent! I mean, last time I checked the land sucked because the fish weren't there!" Demyx lamented, as he set up the last table. He looked at the café, now ready to accommodate more people. "There! All done!"

Zexion was writing a note. Roxas peeked and read it aloud.

"Rules of the Oblivion Café – Number One, no screaming in the premises. Number Two, no demanding of photographs or autographs. You leave behind money, and take back food. Plates and utensils not included. Number Three, no complaints of premises or food allowed. It's your fault that we never expanded it anyway. Number Four, no physical contact with any waiters or cooks. We're gay; don't push your luck." Roxas furrowed his eyebrows. "Um, Zexion, do you think the rules are a little…harsh? And I'm not _gay_!"

Zexion merely snorted. "Even better. Some may leave. Look at that, Roxas. They're all here to see you. So why not just lie?"

Roxas stared at the crowd of eager customers, and suddenly felt like Mr Krabs from Spongebob Squarepants. "I think…we'll try. We'll delete number four, though."

* * *

Demyx did the honours of throwing open the doors, after Zexion ensured that everyone read the rules. Everyone agreed that Roxas cooked really fast, and Axel could make relatively acceptable coffee, but for now, Zexion, Demyx and Axel would be taking orders. Zexion would be in charge of coffee and Roxas would be in charge of the entire kitchen.

Soon, customers filled in, obediently taking their seats and chatting. They were casting surreptitious glances at the counter as they took orders, and usually when Roxas emerged from the kitchen to receive orders they gasped and tried to control themselves. Some teenage girls wrote their names and numbers on a piece of paper (the back of their receipts, to be more precise), before leaving them in plate labeled 'Business cards'.

Axel took charge of serving the cold drinks, like canned drinks and the occasional lemon tea, and for once he didn't screw up or try to burn anything, except when a customer didn't look up at him – he simply scowled and walked off.

Demyx was just cleaning up after everyone else, and handing out muffins whenever they ordered. It was just plain fun. And most people ordered the main course when they realized that Chef Roxas was cooking them, which brought in a lot of money.

"Hey, this is pretty good stuff!" A man in a classic business suit commented, as he handed over the money, still eating on the muffin. "Give my compliments to the chef; I'll be coming right over for lunch!"

"This is crazy, but so _exhilarating_!" Demyx exclaimed, as he handed a customer her breakfast set, and served some coffee. "I've never seen so many happy people in this café before!"

Axel grinned. Since people stopped ordering canned drinks, insisting on freshly brewed tea and coffee, he had resorted to picking out the handwritten name cards of girls, and writing names down. "I can name my next lighter Sasha…ooh, look, a girl named Reneé…hmm…"

Roxas emerged, balancing tons of plates, and then he kicked Axel angrily, handing him all the food. "Stop looking at names!" he snapped angrily, but when he saw a few customers staring, he flashed them a polite smile before hurrying off.

By 11, they had to stop serving customers, because Riku was coming and they had to clean up plus make them an awesome meal.

And Zexion insisted, because he didn't want any girl asking for Roxas' number. Or address.

"Well! Now, we wait! Boy, I'm beat!" Axel plopped down on a chair. "ROX! Cook us something, will ya?"

In a flash, Axel was given a pile of vegetables and some soup. Roxas smiled. "It's for your brain. You see, the Chinese believe that _this _vegetable should be eaten in the new year, so you can do math really well, since the Chinese word for the vegetable sounds the same as the Chinese word for counting! And…this soup is good for your stomach. You just came out of the hospital, so I guess-"

A whole crew of smart-looking people burst in, and behind them was Riku, Olette, Larxene and Hayner. The four of them sat down, observing the area casually.

"Nice place you've got, Roxas," Olette remarked, smiling at him.

"Oh, um, thanks!" Roxas smiled at all of them. Axel looked at his untouched meal and handed it to Riku.

"Here, you stabber, your meal, so the Chinese will think you have a good _un_stabbed stomach _and _you can count!" Axel dumped the plate happily, grinning at him. "I was just keeping it warm for you. No worries, I didn't _poison_ it or anything…"

Larxene gave him a glare, and revealed her taser Edward, strapped to her thigh. Axel whistled in awe, before shuffling away.

"Axel…" Roxas sighed.

The redhead scowled at him. "Oh, fine, whatever, I'll eat that stupid veg." He snatched the plate away from Riku, who was examining it. "Sorry, blue hair."

"I'm good at math, anyway."

"Yeah, yeah, but you're not very good at counting how many times I hate you."

"One."

Axel frowned, and crossed his arms. "Damn."

Demyx and Zexion rolled their eyes. "So, um, do you guys want any drinks?" Demyx asked eagerly, and Zexion looked sort of excited. It was hard to tell; his face was always a blank.

"Some tea." Hayner mumbled.

"Iced lemon tea!" Olette enthusiastically ordered

"Surprise us." Riku looked at Demyx expectantly. "And I want it done by Roxas Strife himself."

The brunette thought about the steak she smelled in Roxas' kitchen, and she broke into a smile. "Agreed."

Hayner remembered how Roxas beamed at the flask Xion was churging down at his date, whenever anything was served. "I'm cool with that."

Larxene glared at all of them. "FINE! Fine, whatever." She pulled Axel by the collar and yanked him down to her sitting level. "You had _better _make it edible. If not…" She proceeded to switch on her taser, unbuttoned Axel's shirt, and then placed the taser uncomfortably close to his stomach. He gulped when he saw sparks.

Then she shoved him away, and Axel buttoned his shirt and burst into the kitchen to warn Roxas.

* * *

Demyx emerged from the kitchen with a tray, with little cups on top. "Roxas didn't know what to give you, so he decided to give you a few at a go."

He handed them three cups each, and a large mug filled with water. "Just in case you don't like it."

"Wait. Where are the rest of the people?" Riku asked, looking around. Just then, Axel and Zexion emerged, with four huge pots of the four drinks. They took out three mugs.

"Um, these are for us! I mean, Rox made tons of these awesome things! Oh yeah, dibs on the biggest flask in the kitchen. I'm _so _bringing them home." Demyx grinned, and Axel and Zexion both groaned.

"ANYWAY! Here's his first drink – Shio's Bubbly Apple!" He took the first pot and poured small amounts of a green liquid in their cups, before going over to the counter to pour everyone else a mug.

Roxas burst out of the kitchen suddenly. He smiled and waved at the four of them, then took out a fourth mug. "Mm, I'm thirsty. Pour me a bit and I'll start cooking everyone a bit of something."

Axel waved to the camera crew behind. "Yo, dudes! Want some drinks?" He poured some in a flask, dumped a few straws in and handed it to them. "Knock yourselves silly, folks."

He turned to Larxene, Olette, Riku and Hayner, all apprehensively looking at their glasses. "Um, well, to drink something, first, just put the edge of the cup to your mouth! Th-"

Larxene brought out her taser. "Don't make me Edward-ify you."

Axel flinched, then he took out his trusty sidekick Alice. "Don't make me, uh, Alice-ifacate you! I'm totally n- AHHH!"

He fell to the floor, twitching slightly. The vicious blonde smiled as she casually took a sip of her drink. Before she remembered that the greenish liquid was highly suspicious and likely to detonate anytime, the drink slipped into her mouth, and instantly, her eyes widened.

Hayner and Olette exchanged bewildered glances. "Ms Valentina…?"

"This…!" she was about to shout out something, but instead she sunk back down in her seat, trying to regain her composure. "…it's pretty good." She raised her glass to Roxas, and nodded.

The blonde grinned and the three of them by the counter toasted to their first success.

Olette was next. She took a sip, then suddenly swallowed it. "This is _fantastic_! REFILL!" she cried out in glee.

Hayner and Riku both continued to eye the drink suspiciously. Olette rolled her eyes. "Don't be such a _wimp_, Bloom."

"I'm not!" he retorted, before taking a gulp. He blinked. "Hey, I'm not cringing!"

Riku took his own sip, flinched, and then nodded. This was _actually _nice.

* * *

They very quickly demolished the food, and there was enough for everyone. Roxas had changed into cleaner clothes and he was looking through the file Riku had handed to him rudely. As much as the blonde hated the man's guts, Roxas had no choice but to do as he said.

_For Naminé, for Axel, for myself. Education, a house, a car!_

"So, that was a rather pleasant meal." Hayner remarked, looking sulky.

"Yup. Pretty awesome." Olette added.

Riku simply shrugged. "We'll use this place as a setting. Olette, you'll have to learn a bit of the basics from Roxas, for the first episode. I think we'll film it at night, so it'll be pretty peaceful, and it'll fit Olette's character quite well." He stood up and adjusted his tie. "Thank you for your time, Strife."

"Oh. Um, yeah, sure." Roxas answered. He glanced at Olette, who was surveying the café. "So, um, when does training starts?"

"Tomorrow. Goodbye."

* * *

"Well, that was stupid and hasty." Demyx mumbled, glaring at Riku. "I mean, they didn't even say thanks when they left!"

Zexion contemplated this for a moment, and then he spoke up. "I think the only thing that came out of this was that Axel wouldn't be blabbering any rubbish from now on."

The three of them looked at Axel, who was still twitching from electricity.

Roxas grinned. "Good point."

* * *

Xion finally arrived at the café at night, where the café was dim, because Demyx cried due to stress halfway, and everyone needed a well-needed break. Roxas was cleaning up, and Axel had already left for home.

"Hey, Rox." She greeted, as she walked into the café.

"Oh, heya, Xion. So, do we have any dates to attend?" he asked curiously.

Xion smiled. "We could always have some food here, Roxas, but if you're talking about business…yeah. I need to go for a photo shoot. I was wondering if you'd like to come along. The photographer mentioned a male model, so I was wondering if you wanted to come. I mean, you're now famous and all…"

Roxas coughed. "I never thought of it _that _way…" he trailed off, smiling to himself. He looked up at Xion. "It's been a good day, except for the reporters."

"That's good. So did I. Anyway, the photographer is part of a wedding planner group; a good friend of mine. He needed a bride and a groom to showcase his stuff, so…"

She blushed, and Roxas smiled at her. "Okay, I don't have much to do anyway."

* * *

"Hey, Pence!" Xion called out, and a rather chubby-looking male came out.

"Oh, Xion! And…oh, Roxas!" Pence immediately ran up to the blonde, examining his face. "Wow, your eyes look better up close and personal! Xion, he's gonna be a great groom!"

"Well, of course he'll be a great groom, and an even better husband. I mean, he can cook, clean _and _he cares!" Xion enthused, smiling at Roxas, who merely blushed.

"Um, come on, I'm not that great!" he tried to downplay himself, but both Pence and Xion ignored him.

"Okay, first we'll do a few couple shoots and then we'll move on to individual shots. You'll have to change a lot, so…well, here are the wedding gowns and the suits…" Pence pushed a rack of suits to Roxas, who flinched at the mass array of suits.

Xion had two racks, all filled with puffy gowns, which made them look bulky.

"Um, okay, so I picked out a few sets that will complement each other…" Pence mused, handing a suit to Roxas. When he got out the wedding gown, he stared at Roxas' sneakers. "Okay, I need shoes too. Black ones. Yeah. I'll give them to you; I have tons."

* * *

"Roxas, put your hand on Xion's waist! You look stiff; loosen up a little. Geez, exactly like the average groom. Have _fun _doing it! Xion, you're doing great, keep it up!"

Roxas had make-up on, he had put on and taken off 9 suits so far, and he was sweating so much Pence had to call a water break thrice.

At first the poses ranged from Xion holding his arm, Xion holding his hand, and then it evolved into more romantic shots. Pence made Roxas put one arm around her waist as they faced the camera, and _now _he wanted Roxas to pretend he was dancing with Xion.

And honestly, Xion looked the same no matter what dress she wore. She just looked like a beautiful Disney Princess Roxas used to admire when he was little. The dress honestly didn't matter; she looked the same even with his shirt on!

That was Roxas' thoughts from the morning he saw Xion wearing her dress and his shirt.

He wasn't very sure what to make of his relationship with her. Close friends, yes, but closer than that? _That _question made him very confused.

And here he was, having his wedding photos taken already. If his mum could see him now, she'd give her blessings in a heartbeat. Cloud wouldn't bother even if Roxas told him that he was gay…not that he was, of course!

"A _lot _of chemistry there, guys! Come on, let's see some sparks! Okay, Roxas, lift her up, bridal-style!"

"W-What?" Roxas couldn't help but repeat.

Xion sighed, and chuckled. Roxas gave her a small frown and then he sighed. With a small grunt, he lifted her up, looking a little flustered and pleased with himself, for some strange reason.

"Okay, Xion, you have to wrap your arms around his neck…and well, just stare into each other's eyes and smile!" Pence instructed, as he moved a little closer to them for a perfect shot.

She did what she was told, and Roxas couldn't help but break into a natural smile when Xion grinned back at him.

"Oooookay! Pretty good, pretty good! Now, the tough bit. Um, you both have to close your eyes and pretend that you're gonna kiss."

"W-WHAT?" Roxas blurted out again, and then Xion burst out laughing.

"Come _on_, Roxas…!" Pence urged, his camera at the ready. "_Please_?"

* * *

"That was…" Roxas mumbled to himself, as they drove off. After that shot, Pence wanted them to do a kissing shot, and that was when Roxas, who was still carrying Xion, decided to walk out on him. Pence had surprisingly waved them goodbye.

"It wasn't bad…" Xion responded, smiling to herself. "I thought it was fun. I like wedding dresses."

Roxas gave her an amused smile. "Really? Why?"

"I don't know, I think it's because they make me feel like Cinderella?" she suggested, and then she laughed.

The blonde lit up. "Like a Disney Princess!" he eagerly added.

"Yup, something like that." Xion looked at Roxas, who was driving her back to her place. "I never knew you like Disney Princesses."

"I do. They're all my idols, as stupid as it sounds…" he admitted shyly, "and my back-up idol is Jamie Oliver. Because, well, he's a guy."

"Mm, and people believe you?" she asked.

"Yeah. Remember the bear Anna? I nearly named it Cinderella, but I was afraid Naminé would find out, so I just named it after the girl."

Xion resisted the urge to laugh. She leaned back in her seat. "So, is Cinderella your favourite, then?"

Roxas nodded, and continued, "I like Jasmine's plot, though. Poor guy meets beautiful princess and tries to impress her. In the end he wins her heart over the toughest trial of all. Pure and simple."

"You relate the best to Aladdin, right?" she stated.

"Yeah. Besides, most of the other princes are almost non-existent. Ariel's prince just stabbed Ursula, if I'm not wrong. Snow White's prince wasn't even named, I think, and all he did was to kiss her…and sing. Aurora's prince was pretty cool though. And Cinderella's prince didn't even know her background until she told him, hopefully in the second movie which was _not _very nice."

Roxas parked in front of Xion's house, but neither of them made the move to go out. "Xion, can I ask you something?"

Xion sighed, and she smiled at him. "Was it about last night?"

He cringed, and then he painfully nodded. "Yep."

She sighed again. "Look, Roxas, you're a great friend, and I like you. I really do. You may be a weird kisser, but…a sweet one. And…I-"

"So…you're saying if I dated you officially on The Love Critic column, you would've…continued?" Roxas asked, bewildered.

"…Yeah. That's exactly what I'm saying. You're a great guy, Roxas, and as for me, well, I've made a few, erm, mistakes here and there, but…" Xion simply kept quiet, biting her lip. "You should decide if you…want to be in a relationship…"

"With you?" Roxas finished for her, still stunned.

"Yeah, and considering you, you'll need some time to think, right?" She smirked when Roxas gave her a shy smile that suggested 'yes'. She walked out of the car. "You can drive home; just pick me up, tomorrow, okay?"

The blonde exited the car, and took out her bag. "Um, Xion?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks. For everything."

* * *

**Oh yes, my 10th chapter! :D Anyway, after this I may stop updating for a while because I'm collecting my results on Monday, and it will determine, well, my life. So if I do well, I'll write like mad, and if I do badly, I'll stop writing for the time being until I sort myself out. Shit, hope I do well!**

**Anyway, as for the lighter story...**

**Scroll straight down if you don't wanna read.

* * *

THE STORY OF HOW AND WHY AXEL LOVES HIS LIGHTERS AND HIS FIRST LIGHTER  


* * *

**Roxas and Axel were sitting on Roxas' bed, and Roxas was happily showing off his new bear. They were 8 and 12 respectively.

"See! Anna gave this to me! She says I'm pretty!" Roxas announced, rather excitedly. He touched the bear's eyes. "Isn't she pretty...?"

Axel crossed his arms and huffed. "So _what _if Anna gave you a bear? She's not even nice! She says that fire is bad for you. Well, you know what? SHE'S WRONG! She'll be eating cold cat meat without it!"

The blonde boy snivelled. "C-Cat meat?" He looked at his Garfield soft toy, and covered his ears for him.

"Yeah, like _obviously_. I mean, did you _see _her talking to the lions durign our trip to the zoo? I would've thrown her in, but one of them told me not to, so well, I had to do it for Narnia."

"...NARNIA?" Roxas widened his eyes. "Is it really nice there?"

Axel shrugged, then snatched the bear from Roxas. "I bet she sleeps with it!"

"EEW! No way!" Roxas cried out. "You're just _jealous_ that no one gave you anything for your Valentines'!"

"OH YEAH?" Axel shouted, hitting Roxas with a pillow. He jumped off the bed. "I _totally _had it with the girls at the playground. They were like, _all _over me. I mean, _duh_, they probably thought I was hot or something."

Roxas scoffed at his redhead friend. "At the playground, the girls were all over you because you told them that that their hair was on fire. They _attacked _you!"

Axel thought about it for a moment. "Maybe I _did _say that, bu-"

"No, Axel, there's no 'maybe'. There's truth in what I just said. After that, you kicked sand in their face, burst out laughing and told them to take a bath. I had to say sorry to them!" Roxas whined, crossing his stubby arms. His mum always told him that he still had baby fat, so from that day on, Roxas tried to jog. But it didn't work out, because well, Roxas couldn't make it to the next block without collapsing of exhaustion.

"But-!"

"No 'but's, Axel! Let's just face it. I'm gonna get a girlfriend, and _you're _not!" Roxas teased, blushing. Then he grinned at Axel. "Anyway, I have a _secret_! And I bet you don't have any!"

This time, Axel pounced onto the blonde, pinning him down to the bed. "YOU TELL ME WHAT THAT SECRET IS, OR YOU'LL COME OUT OF HERE A ROASTED CHICKEN!"

"NO!"

"Why, I oughta-!"

"Hello, Axel!" Aerith entered the room cheerily, with young Naminé behind. She looked at the both of them and smiled. "Don't be rough! Naminé and I made cookies!"

Roxas and Axel got off the bed and beamed. "Cookies?"

Naminé glared at both of them. She was already 5 or 6, but she was smart. And sort of evil. "Mummy, Roxas has a secret!" she chirped innocently.

"YOU HEARD?" Roxas cried out. He sighed and slumped his shoulders. "Secrets are meant to be NOT said!"

"Whatever, you _poopyhead_."

"MUM!" Roxas complained.

"Naminé, no foul words."

"But...Axel's grandma uses it..."

* * *

Axel went back to his grandmother's house, sort of deflated. He didn't have a girl, or a secret, and Roxas was 4 years younger!

"Grandma Alice!" Axel called out, and then he ran to her side. "Happy Valentines' Day!" Then, he gave her a hug.

The wizened old woman smiled at him. "Oh Axel, I got you something for today, too. I bought it from some old _poopyhead _at the shop. Heh, should've burnt his house."

"Really? Can I go?"

"Of course, but now, close your eyes, and stretch out your hands." she instructed. Axel did what he was told, shaking with excitement. What could it be? Roasted chicken?

Instead, she placed in his hands a small rectangular box. "You can see it now, Axel dear."

Axel opened his eyes and screamed. "MY OWN LIGHTER! THANKS, GRANDMA!"

"You're welcome. Now, if you excuse me...I think I'll go burn something..."

* * *

The redhead ran back to his room, and then he took out a penknife and started to carve a name for his lighter. "My mum told me that she wanted a girl, and she would've named her Alice. Well, guess what? I'm naming _you _Alice!" He proudly looked at his brand new best friend, Alice the Lighter. "And this will be our little secret! So. When Roxas teases me...I can just burn his hair..."

* * *

He never realised how hard it was to keep a secret, so the next day, he told Roxas everything.

But when he realised that keeping a secret was difficult, he figured that if he pressed the right buttons, Roxas would spill out _his _secret. So Axel did so, and he got the secret - Roxas named the bear Anna.

What Axel _didn't _know was that Roxas was smart enough to name the bear Cinderella Anna Strife.

* * *

"WAIT!" Suddenly, the room morphed into a white room, and everyone was staring up at the ceiling.

Um. Sorry. What?

Roxas cleared his throat. "Why does Axel have Alice only recently?"

Well, because like every normal couple, they fight. And well, when they fight, Axel dumps Alice in his drawer. Then, after a few years or so of dating other lighters, he would realise that Alice is the only one for him. Then they'll make up. And stuff.

Axel was in tears. "Good story!" he choked out.

Why, thank you.

Then Axel turned to you. You found yourself strapped to an ironing board. Well, we couldn't find any chairs. I could point out one, but I'm a ceiling. So I don't have hands.

"YOU!" and he jabbed his finger into your nose, "had _better _review. In fact, I'm strapping you to this ironing board until you do so."

Axel...what happened to the 'King of Peace' thing? It's actually real. Infatuation-x told me it's real. Seriously.

Axel seemed to think for a moment. Then he pointed Alice at you. "Well, I'm the King of Peace in some language. Therefore, review. Or else I'll roast you. GOT IT MEMORIZED?"

* * *

**And so ends the story of everyone's favourite lighter, Alice. REVIEW! And wish me luck for my O levels! :D May I have my first and last A1 for English! **

**...Yes, my average score for English is like, a B?  
**


	11. Triangle

"It's gonna _blow_!" Demyx screamed, as he quickly put on his raincoat.

Axel opened his mouth wide, and Roxas quickly shoved open the umbrella as Olette's brand new concoction of coffee exploded out of the blender, coating the café in an overdose of caffeine. The once pale white walls were now streaked and stained brown rather thoroughly, despite the fact that Demyx tried to "hose down all that sugar" on the floor. The café was not just drenched, but smelly, and crazy.

Roxas gave an exasperated groan as Axel licked at his bare hands. Since the coffee was hot, Axel was wearing his swimming trunks so he could "feel all warm and _fuzzeh _and crazy" when the coffee splashes on to him.

"Do we even put coffee in the blender?" Olette asked, looking expectantly at Roxas for an answer. She was wearing a mask, her hair was in those expensive-looking showering caps, and she was wearing sleek, waterproof wellingtons that apparently cost "more than this café". She had the apron on, plus some of her old clothes that she never really wore out anyway.

"…Can we just…move along…?" The blonde managed, as he tried to breathe. It was crazy; they were on their 12th coffee and every single _one _of them has exploded. The first few were failures because Olette chucked the cups in the microwave oven while Roxas went to fetch some water and towels for himself, or when he went to clean up and have a fresh change of clothes. It was _completely _unsupervised, so that was what happened to the first few cups. Roxas had already made a mental note to write down a list of things Riku had to replace.

_Roxas' List of Things To Be Replaced By Riku_

_1+1+++++ coffee mugs ARGH JUST BUY IN BULK! ):_

_3 microwave ovens _

_A LOT OF TOWELS_

_MORE TISSUE_

_Paint_

_Aprons_

_Mop_

_Blender_

_And my mental sanity…_ Roxas thought to himself as he calmly (or shakily; when he was really angry, it was hard to tell) added another blender to the list. Something inside was jammed, but he wasn't daring enough to check. When he did that for the previous blender for Coffee Number Ten, that _something_ spurted out in his face (and some into his nose, but he didn't say _that _when Axel burst out laughing and added saliva to his face) and the blender just crashed after that.

"Okay…coffee number twelve failed..." Demyx sighed, looking forlorn for a moment (maybe a microsecond or so) and then brightening up, "but there's always a number thirteen!"

Zexion scoffed. "Let me bid farewell to all our mugs before you start…"

"ZEX! Don't be _mean_." Demyx hit him over the head and pouted.

Axel grinned. "You're gonna continue? _Great_! Okay Rox, I'm gonna get Alice and our floating devices…"

Demyx and Zexion exchanged hopeful glances. "Wait, Axel! You forgot Elizabeth! I'll find her at your place!"

Zexion raised an eyebrow. "Uh, and…" he paused to think of a remotely female name before continuing, "perhaps Aly…?"

"OH YEAH!" Axel beamed proudly at his two friends. "Thanks! Come on, we should all go! Rox, fill up the bathtub over there with the coffee, 'kay? BYE!" With that, all three of them jumped into Roxas' car (the one Roxas absolutely forbade them to use) before driving off hurriedly.

Roxas sighed and rubbed his temples. "Okay, I think we'll stop for a break…"

Olette lit up. "Really?" she gasped, as she ripped off her apron. To Roxas' horror, she tore out her shirt and pants as well, revealing an expensive outfit beneath all the dirt. She took the cloth Roxas just washed, cleaned a chair and her side of the table, before plopping down. She yanked off her boots and threw them at the chair opposite her.

"Okay, I'm _really _hungry now…" Olette patted her flat stomach in anticipation. She glanced at the blonde and rolled her eyes. "Or do you need a break too?"

* * *

Roxas shuddered as the cold air-conditioning breeze hit him. Olette slid into the passenger seat. "Um, take me to that fancy restaurant in the Hilton Hotel vicinity. Wait, you know what? Just drop me off at Hilton; I'll go take a look-see round those gorgeous boutiques." Olette smiled. "I must seem pretty crazy now, huh?"

_After how you broke into my car, almost sexually assaulted me and ruined my café? Nooooo…_"Um, maybe?" Roxas offered hesitantly.

Olette frowned and sank back down in her seat. "I'm not. I know I may sound like a total spoiled brat, but…I have a heart!"

"Right…" Roxas mumbled to himself, but Olette heard him. She swung her umbrella violently at him.

"Okay, maybe how we met was screwed up and all…" she conceded, placing her umbrella by her side gently, "and acting tends to make me…strange…"

Roxas nodded slowly, though he hadn't seen her act. Not even _once_. Was it him, or was Riku just prolonging his suffering?

"And I know I can't cook for nuts…"

"You can't even cook nuts if you had to," Roxas pointed out nonchalantly, and Olette smacked him across the table.

"Plus, I tend to be a little…violent…" the brunette mumbled. Roxas was half-way through nodding eagerly when he saw Olette grip her umbrella. He stopped and sank back in his seat.

"It's just…something I can't control. Once, a boy called me 'shy, quiet, yet fun to talk to', but then on that day he got me so pissed off over something I hit him with my Math book…" Olette lamented, covering her face with her hands.

"Well, you seemed pretty demure…" Roxas noted, cocking his head at her. She was, unless she was holding on to her umbrella and brandishing it like a mad woman. Sweet curls framing her gentle face, a cute button nose, pretty green eyes, and even a slight blush sweeping across her cheeks that seemed permanent. Then her green eyes narrowed at him, and he gulped, "until you, uh, stumbled into my car…"

"Right. Sorry about that." Olette watched as a waiter served her cocktail. He handed Roxas his mango tea, before briskly sliding away like all waiters.

"Well, it's okay. At least I got a new car in the end, right?" Roxas beamed at the thought. Axel wanted to name the car Alice The Second Most Awesome Thing in The World, but he settled for Alice The Awesome Car. Roxas called it 'The ATAC Mobile' and for some strange reason, he started to call the car a female.

Olette nodded. "True. Well, maybe we should, um, forget about that really dark day when a girl nearly made you lose your virginity."

Roxas spat out his mango tea on the couple next to him. "H-How did you know?"

The brunette smirked and eyed him. "It's…obvious…"

He frowned as a waitress served him his salad (the cheapest thing Roxas could find on the menu) and served Olette her loch duart salmon (some fancy salmon-like dish that would not only burn a hole in one's pocket, but perhaps burn one alive plus a building nearby) and her complimentary wine.

"Roxas, you're not anorexic by chance, right?"

The blonde looked at his measly salad. "I'm not!" he retorted. He shoveled a mouthful of lettuce into his mouth. "I'm saving money!"

"You should always splurge a little!" Olette countered back. She finished her meal surprisingly fast, when Roxas finally noticed the expensive fish missing from its silver platter. "I've been working hard!"

"But you couldn't even make proper coffee!"

"That's because I have no talent and you know it!"

"Of course I do know that!" Roxas smirked triumphantly. "I just never expected you to admit it yourself!"

Olette blushed, but she recovered quickly. "W-Well, I can prove that I can do it well! Just watch me!" she snapped, before she grabbed her purse and walked out on Roxas.

"H-Hey, wait!" Roxas was about to leave until a waiter coughed behind him. He turned around to face the waiter's almost smug smile.

"Your bill, sir. Since the lady couldn't stay to pay it…"

* * *

"I am going to get...her...!" he huffed, as he ran nimbly across the road. The rain pelted down on him, as though they were slapping him on the back and yelling 'Good show!'

Except they were being sarcastic and weren't helping Roxas in his journey back.

Roxas finally reached the Oblivion café, glowering at Olette's car. He was about to walk into the café fully prepared to verbally throttle the female brunette when he noticed his brand new car parked just behind Olette's. Just that his brand new car didn't look very brand new with the dent in plain sight.

"Oh, hey Roxas!"Axel greeted cheerily as he met Roxas at the café entrance. He looked at Roxas' outstretched arm, pointing accusingly at the dent. "Oh, I see you've met Alice's, um, new tattoo."

"Axel, it's a dent."

"A cool one!" Axel retorted. He walked up to the dent and stroked it. "You see, Roxas? It's a dent…in the shape of a _flame_! I swear, it's _fate _that we named your car Alice…"

"Axel…why are we still friends again?"

"…Um, because we love each other no matter what?"

"I am going to – Ahhh CHOOOO!" Roxas sneezed loudly. He proceeded to sneeze a second time.

"Someone's thinking of you~" Axel said in a singsong voice.

* * *

Xion sneezed.

"Looks like someone's talking about you," one of her collegues teased. "Or _thought_ of you."

"Oh, shut up, what do _you_ know?" Xion blushed.

_Why do I have the strange feeling...oh, never mind._

* * *

"Shut up…" Roxas mumbled, sniffing his nose. He grabbed a tissue from his pocket and blew his nose. "Shit. Now my nose hates me!"

"Try petting your nose. Always helps whenever _I _have a stuffy nose..." Axel advised, as he dragged Roxas back in. "By the way, I don't know why, but Olette's making pretty good progress with the coffee."

As Roxas picked up his apron, which was strewn across the floor, he realised the tantalisingly sweet scent of coffee circulating about the place. "Woah, who's making tha-"

"Here you are. One coffee, in your _face_!" Olette thrusted the coffee mug into Roxas' hands. She looked at it proudly. "Zexion says I'm making good progress!"

"She is..." Zexion murmured to himself. He nodded his head at Olette, who beamed.

"Told you I'd do okay. Anyway..." Olette started to pick up her belongings on the table, "I'm gonna go. Riku said you could open up the cafe to the customers. He's taking a break today, for some strange reason."

Axel scoffed. "And why the heck would taking a break be strange?"

"Well, because Riku's a total workaholic and never takes time off to begin with?" Olette started to check her hair in her compact mirror. "And it was for some personal matters. Riku hasn't really bothered bout his family. Just sends them money every once in a while."

"Heartless freak," was all Zexion could mumble.

"Hey, come on, Zex, I heard that!" Olette snapped. She rolled her eyes as she pushed open the door. "His family did a whole lot of shit to him. He only had one friend, for you information, so I guess he's seeing her now."

"Her...?"

* * *

"Sorry to bother you..." Riku greeted, "...Xion."

Xion simply nodded curtly, before sitting down. Riku had booked the entire restaurant for the day and it was solely for lunch with her.

"And have I done anything remotely wrong to bother _you_?" she replied calmly, her ocean blue eyes narrowing slightly, "Since you took the time and money to book the entire restaurant just for two."

Riku shrugged. "You didn't do anything. But I did this for you anyway." He looked at the restaurant nonchalantly.

Xion took a deep breath. Even for her standards of classy dining, this was...exceptional. Her utensils were made out of a polished gold, and above them was a great chandelier, swaying ever so gracefully. The appetizers had just arrived and they were delectable, almost to the point where Xion nearly ordered for seconds. They reminded her of Roxas, for some reason; perhaps he could cook up something of that phenomenal taste.

"So...what's the occasion?"

"Nothing. You see, Xion," Riku flashed her a small, almost pitiful smile, "I wanted to talk about a relationship I screwed up, but the person I was having a relationship with to begin with happens to be my only confidante. So...I brought you here."

Xion scoffed. "How cheesy."

"I'm afraid so. But hey, there's nothing wrong with bringing out my only childhood friend for lunch, right?" Riku took a sip of his coffee, from a rather expensive sort of coffee bean. It didn't take much effort for Xion to realise that.

"Well, how about _Olette _then?" She said it so sweetly it scathed her own tongue to say it. Xion closed her eyes, memories flooding back to her. She couldn't see it; how the three of them used to hang out. It was such an irony that Xion called Olette up because Olette was always complaning about Xion spending too little time with her.

And that time Olette couldn't spend with Xion was mostly spent with Riku and his fat paycheck.

Riku narrowed his eyes. "We were through after two weeks."

"Because there wasn't any thrill in dating her any more?" Xion shot back. "No thrill in having a girlfriend to cheat on behind her back? Your _best_ friend, no less."

"Xion-"

"Don't. I found out. You started to date Olette a week after we got together. The adrenaline of two-timing and not getting caught...was that all you wanted?" Xion stood up, tears already springing into her eyes. "You...don't know..._anything_."

_Not how I felt. Not how much my soul cried. Not how much I hid everything._

_Never._

* * *

"Rox, follow up on Table 21's latte, 'kay? And be snappy about it, as quoted by Douche-bag One there." Axel said, as he scribbled down the final order and stuck it on the counter.

"Yeah, can do. And um, Table 10's calling. Go on, Axel." Roxas gave the couple at Table 10 an apologetic smile, before nudging Axel to his next table.

"You owe me a new lighter. Alice and I want a child."

Roxas suppressed a smug grin as a man walked past, overheard Axel, and widened his eyes in shock, before briskly making his way to a table with his fellow colleagues. "Well, just...go..."

"Well, yeah, sure, whatever. Marluxia owes us..." Axel shuffled away, pasting his wide grin on his face as he approached Table 10.

Service with a smile.

Roxas shook his head as he started to finish up all the orders. It was quite standard to him; so standard it was getting...mindless. He calmly placed the latte on the counter, and slipped the receipt beneath the cup.

"Hey, Roxas," someone greeted, and Roxas jerked up to meet large blue eyes that matched his own.

"Oh, hey, Nami. How was school?" Roxas asked, as he checked the orders filling in quickly.

Naminé smiled as she placed her bag down at the back, then walked up to the list of orders and picked one up. "Well, it was good. Ms Lydia is going to put a few of my artworks up for the art sale later this week!" Though Naminé didn't sound very enthusiastic about it, Roxas could tell she was just suppressing it so she wouldn't distract him.

"Really?" he grinned. "That's great! When is it? I'll go there and...um, support you?"

Naminé smiled as she placed the finishing touches of the strawberry drink – a single strawberry perched proudly on the edge of the glass cup. She knew the menu by heart and knew exactly what to do; besides, it was her part-time vacation job. "Well, sure. It's on Friday, actually-"

Demyx overheard the word 'Friday' and suddenly squealed. "Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friiiiiida-"

"SHUT UP!" Zexion roared from afar, causing several customers to smile.

"Damn, Nami, better pick some seats for us," Roxas joked.

"Kicking in the front seat, kicking in the back seat~ Gotta make my mind up; WHICH SEAT CAN I TAAAAAKE?" Demyx continued to sing, surprisingly in tune, as he dramatically grabbed a giggling schoolgirl looking for a seat. "Lemme help with that problem, Rebecca Black!" With that, he flashed a megawatt smile and led the girls to a suitable table.

"Dem, it's not Friday, it's a Monday!" Zexion shouted.

"Well, Zex, it's Friday forever for one Rebecca Black," Axel pointed out.

"SHUT UP!"

Roxas and Naminé started to laugh as the siblings quickly finished up all the orders. "I'll be gettin' down on Friday, I guess. You'll be at your school early, right?"

"Yup. No need to pick me up and all. I'll be going early and coming back late from school these few days to prepare for the event. It's an annual charity thing the school does, and they're inviting some really great artists!"

"Uh huh, sounds...interesting. For you, of course," Roxas smiled at his sister. "And thanks for helping out today."

Naminé grinned. "Nooo problem."

Just then, someone pushed open the door, and Naminé looked up. "Oh, good afternoon, Ms Leonhart!" she greeted cheerily.

Xion gave her a small smile. "Hi, Naminé, and hey, Roxas." She glanced at Demyx, who was prancing his way over to her, and warily backed away by a step.

"Awwww, don't be shy, miss! Tsk! I'm a nice guy! Not some sexual predator or anything...!" Demyx let out a nervous chuckle as he admitted quietly, "...though it'll be pretty cool to be one..."

"Um..."

"Anyway, a table for one?"

Xion nodded and let herself be escorted to a table, giving Roxas a sidelong glance as she walked along.

"Heyooooo, Xion!" Axel greeted as he calmly handed her the small, rather torn menu that the café. "Whaddya wa-"

"Wait. S-S-She's-" Demyx stuttered, and blushed furiously at his confession at the door. "Oh man, damn! Sorry, Ms Leonhart, I'm a HUUUUUGE fan and, and, and, I'D NEVER BE YOUR SEXUAL PREDATOR!" He got down on his knees overdramatically and grabbed her legs in wide-eyed horror.

"Dude, Dem, you're acting like one now, get _off _her!" Axel grabbed at Demyx's shoulders and forcefully yanked him away from Xion, just before he could land his infamous Demyx hug. The redhead looked back at Xion. "Sorry, Xion, he's a little...um..."

"...Like you?" Xion let a smile play on her lips. She was feeling slightly better already.

"Yeah, yeah that's the phras- wait, WHAT?" Axel's face twisted in shock. He shook his head and pretended to be some overly pompous woman with voluptuous curves – flicking his blazing red hair and jutting out his hip. "My, oh, my, Ms Leonhart, are you, by chance, insulting Thy Great _Axel_?"

"Axeeeel! You're acting like a lesbian stripper now!" Demyx whined.

"Oh, shut up, Dem! I'm too hot to be a lowly stripper!"

While Axel and Demyx started to argue, Zexion walked towards the duo, and smacked their heads. He then turned to Xion. "May I take your order please?"

Trying her best not to laugh at Axel and Demyx ("Well, if I were a stripper, I'd work for all the Presidents in the world...and live in a Playboy Mansion!" and "Well, if I were a sexual predator, Presidents would beg me to sexually...uh, predate them!"), Xion ordered herself a drink and a cake, before watching Roxas and Naminé from her table.

She never had a real sibling before, and her childhood had been spent studying, so she didn't have much of a childish streak in her unless she was provoked to do otherwise. So for some unfathomable reason, she enjoyed watching the siblings interact. How they knew what the other needed, a flash of a reassuring smile to keep the other going. Bounded together by their blood and hearts.

Xion sighed. She wanted to feel that one day; the feeling of being able to trust someone completely with her whole life without a moment's hesitation, and being so close to someone and knowing almost everything.

Perhaps it'd come soon, she thought to herself, as Roxas and Naminé greeted her at her table with her order. "Hey, Xion!" Naminé and Roxas chorused as they handed her the drink.

"Thanks," she replied, as she took a tentative sip.

Naminé grinned at Xion eagerly. "So! How is it?"

Xion took in the therapeutic aroma of her latte, and nodded enthusiastically. "Great, just perfect. Thank you so much, Naminé."

The blonde girl looked as though she was going to faint. She took a quick glance at the vintage clock and jumped. "Hey, Rox, I gotta head back to school to finish up the project and the decorations for the art sale. See you!"

"Yep, okay, see you!" Roxas bade her farewell, then smiled at Xion. "So, how was work?"

Xion smiled back. "Pretty rough. Deadlines to meet. I'm just here for a coffee, then I need to write up an article about a park near here that's apparently in a really bad shape. Someone wrote to us about it and said we needed to clean it up, and I guess I feel strongly for parks in bad shape. I'm going there to snap a few photographs, then I'll write an article so people would be more aware of it. Maybe we'd do _something _about it..."

"Oh, really? Which one? I could, um, take you there!" Roxas volunteered.

"They call it Traverse Town Park. I walked past it before and it's pretty run-down." Xion blushed slightly. "So, um, we're...I mean, you're-"

Roxas grinned as he touched her shoulder lightly. "Yep. I'll go with you. Just wait a little bit, okay?"

"Um...yeah, sure." Xion had never felt so flustered, and so..._aware _that Roxas' hand on on her shoulder. As his hand casually left her shoulder to deliver a few more rounds of coffee, Xion could feel her shoulder tingle senselessly. Like it was numb, yet Xion could feel everything: the warmth of his hand, and the coldness as his hand left her shoulder. It was strange...yet Xion felt happy.

Like the latte. Sweet, bubbly, warm.

_Happy._

* * *

**Delayed. D: Sorry guys, I've been busy with schoolwork. And yes, there isn't much Roxion in this chapter, but I promise! Next chapter! I'll try my very best. Sorry to disappoint with this chapter.**

**Besides, my semester's ending pretty soon so I'm gonna start on a writing spree. Hopefully. **

**And...um, I have a blog...? I don't know if you guys even wanna see how I look like in real life, or how my photographs are, but anyway, the link is on my profile page! Do visit and comment. Just...don't expect too many updates. I actually have a private blog where I spew vulgarities as much as I eat chocolate, and that's meant for me, and me alone. It's not very strange; it's like a diary to me.**


	12. Fountain

As Roxas rubbed off the coffee sweat (the reason why Axel termed it as such was because Roxas had been so absorbed in making coffee that he smelled like coffee), his best friend redhead Axel sighed wistfully at him.

"...What?"

"...Nothing, Rox." Axel took off his shirt and rummaged in his bag for a spare. "Absolutely _nothing_."

"You...You're hiding something."

"Was it really _that _obvious?"

At this, Roxas rolled his eyes. "Axel, you're grinning stupidly at me. Your face is now a quarter red hair, a quarter green eyes and half your face is dedicated to your stupid grin. And the only time you do that is when you're staring at hot girls...or you _think_ you've come up with the most brilliant thing ever."

Axel looked in the mirror and realised his grin ther- _Oh, my, hello gorgeous, _he thought as he stared as his reflection, his smile growing wider. And then he remembered what he was actually staring at the mirror for, and quickly rubbed his grin away. "Right. It's nothing."

"_Axel_."

"It's NOTHING!" The redhead insisted, blushing wildly.

"_AXEL_."

"OKAY, I admit!" Axel looked as though he was about to cry. "I was just thinking of Xion and you getting married and then having kids and then you guys making me the _god-daddy_ and then I'll have them and I'll buy them a lighter every year and and I was imagining how they'd look like and _holy mew, _Roxas I'm so_ EMOTIONAL _over this_!_"

Then he grabbed Roxas and hugged him, almost screaming now. "I j-just want to be your kids' _god-daddy! _I'd bring them out to a club for their fifth birthday or something and they can see God-Daddy Axel burn a car as a birthday gift! I-I'll even drop them off at day care for you and pick them up! T-Then they'll be so h-h-"

Roxas was rubbing Axel's back soothingly, like a father caring for his overgrown eccentricity of a son. "It's alright, Axel, I'll do whatever I can to make you...um, happy."

"It's not about _me_, man, it's about the _KIIIIIIIIDS_!" Axel bawled in response.

At this, Roxas knew Axel was dead serious. In Axel's list of priorities, it probably went something like this:

Me

Myself

I

Alice

The other lighters (maybe a hundred of them or so)

The broken lighters in the Dark Box of Imaginary Tombstones (an actual name)

Roxas

The blonde realised this and quickly pried the tearful pyromaniac away from him. "Axel, listen to me. Of course I'll make you my...um...children's godfather. Just...don't bring them to clubs. Or burn a car in their presence."

"C-Can I give them a lighter?"

"Only if I'm there to teach them the pros and cons of the lighter."

"...But..._I_ want to do that!"

Roxas shook his head. "No way." He imagined a small boy swirling around with a lighter, then burning his sister's hair. "No."

"...Okay." Axel stood up and rubbed away his tears. Then, he burst into a big grin. "I'm gonna ask Xion on her opinion of this."

"Mmm, sure." And as Axel left the small room at the back of the café, it dawned on Roxas what Axel was going to ask.

"Hey, Xion!" he could hear the redhead call out.

_...this is not happening._

* * *

"Xion, what do you think of making me your children's _god-daddy_? I mean, of course you can object to it, but I already asked Roxas about the kids and he seems to like the idea, except I can't burn stuff in front of your kids. So-"

"Axel...what are you talking about?"

"_Don't listen to him, Xion_!" Roxas burst out of the room.

"But, Roxas, for a marriage to work, you nee-" Before Axel could further humiliate Roxas, the blonde lunged at Axel and covered his mouth shut. Then Axel slobbered saliva all over Roxas' hand, causing the blonde to scream in absolute horror.

As Roxas ran back to furiously sanitise his hand, Axel continued, "So anyway, Xion, I was wondering if you were alright with making me your children's god-daddy. Their daddy has already agreed, and I would like for you two to sign this document detailing what I can and cannot do as god-daddy of the Strife children."

Xion was on the verge of tears because she was laughing so hard, at Roxas uncapping an entire Dettol bottle and scrubbing at his hands diligently, and at Axel looking at her earnestly with a roughly scrawled draft of the document.

"We'll be like, the three musketeers of parenting!"

"_Axel_!" Roxas snarled from the sink.

"Oh, alright, alright, but come on, Xion, just think about it for a sec. We can appear on, what, Oprah's show or something as parenting pioneers!"

"You are _embarrassing_, Axel!"

"Shush, Roxy dear, _Mumma_ here's deciding."

* * *

"I'm...really sorry about that," Roxas apologised as they left a very happy Axel in the café, the redhead calling up Naminé to tell her the brilliant news.

"It's alright," Xion replied, a spring in her step. "I had fun being a prospective mum!"

Roxas sniffed at his exceedingly clean, Dettol-submerged hands. "I had a good time scrubbing my hands..."

Xion took his hands and sniffed it, then crinkled her nose at the smell. "Too clean."

The blonde grinned. "Just the way I like it."

The two walked in silence towards the park, with Roxas holding on to her camera and Xion in a leather coat with an assortment of pens and paper inside the pockets. It was a comfortable silence though, with the occasional wistful smile from Roxas that Xion couldn't help but notice.

"You've been smiling the whole way here," Xion mused.

"I was just...ah, thinking about just now." Roxas gave a small smile. "It was...interesting."

Xion nodded and then stopped in her tracks, as a large, looming sign greeted them.

"...What is that squiggly line there?" Roxas couldn't help but blurt out.

The female rolled her eyes. "It says, 'Traverse Town Park'. We've reached. And...well, it's perfect for our feature."

"And what's the feature about again?" Roxas asked.

"_The Neglected _is what we call our feature...officially." At this, Xion gave a slight chuckle. "In the newsroom we call it the Bad Parks feature."

Roxas looked at the gloomy place and frowned. "I can see why..." He spotted a wizened man in a dreary-looking outfit, sweeping up the dead leaves. "Excuse me, sir, but...what happened to this park?"

"It used...to be a grand ol' dame, this park. Glorious, better than most parks around this part of town. And then...this blonde _rich_ butt came along and..."

Roxas instinctively rummaged in the camera bag for a random hair-covering device (a hat, or a cap, or _something_) when the smiling old man noticed. Chuckling, he patted Roxas' arm. "No, boy, it's alright, it ain't you...though now that I look at you, you _do _have the man's eyes...but there's something...different about your eyes."

Xion couldn't help but smile at this. "His eyes just...radiate warmth. I don't know. Maybe it's just me."

The old man chortled again, while Roxas gave a nervous laugh. "Yes...I can see that. Looking in your eyes make me feel all bubbly and happy, hoho!" He looked over to Xion admiringly. "And is this the lucky woman in your life, boy?"

"Ah..."

Once again, the stranger nodded wisely, as though he knew. "I see...complicated, eh? Well, I've got just the thing for you two, dearies! Come along now, I'll show you!" He heaved up his trash bag, but Roxas quickly stopped him and picked it up with relative ease.

"Thank you, boy! Now, come along now. I'll show you this park's little secret, hoho!"

"You're very welcome, and thank you so much for showing us around, sir!" Roxas replied cheerfully.

"Aw shucks, it's not a big deal! I save this thing up for good days like these, meeting the good young people of today, and feeling happy because this country will be in good hands!"

Xion couldn't help but smile to herself, watching a curious conversation between the elderly man and Roxas. It was like a happy drug of sorts; watching Roxas, or even talking to him, just made her smile and forget everything. With him, life was what it was supposed to be – carefree, happy, bright, full of love...

"Here we are! ...oh..." The man sounded dispirited all of a sudden.

"What hap- woah. This place must've been really nice until...all this shrub turned up."

The odd trio found themselves looking at a grand fountain...which wasn't very grand at first sight because of the vines and weeds gripping it tightly. Roxas grabbed at part of the vines that blocked the fountain, and ripped it off, revealing a beautifully intricate design of angels floating about. He rubbed at the dirt and grime, muttering about how he'd waste more Dettol later, and the exposed part of the fountain glimmered in the night.

Xion looked at her feet, and found herself standing on what must have been a thick pile of decomposed leaves, fallen from the large looming oak trees that had lovingly provided shade for years to the fountain and to those who patronized it.

She sighed wistfully. "This would've been a beautiful place..."

The old man sniffled slightly. "Yes, I agree so! But then again, you haven't seen everything..." He scurried over to a dark corner, and groped beneath the undergrowth for something. Xion saw a switch glint in the dim light of the lamp post nearby, and as he flicked it on triumphantly, she couldn't help but gasp in surprise, as the fountain started to glow in a pale light.

"It used to be a whole myriad of colours..." the man mused to himself sadly, "and now it's just shades of green."

"A glowing fountain!" she couldn't contain her excitement. "This is great!"

The blonde frowned and simply continued to peel off bits and pieces of the green menace that wrapped around the fountain protectively. "I think I have just the thing to clean this, but it's at home. I could come back and help you out with this fountain!"

They all stared at the glowing fountain for a moment, then the man nodded eagerly. "Okay, you clean, and I'll sweep!"

As the two men deliberated over what to do, Xion realised that she was being sorely ignored. "Um...can I help?"

Roxas smiled, a twinkle in his eyes. "Bring some mats and help buy food! We can have a picnic at night! It's only evening now, you know? It'll be fun, sitting next to a glowing fountain!"

"Okay lad, I'll sweep up real quick so you and your lady can have some nice time together! Don't wanna be a lamp post or a light bulb, whatever that means..." As the old man hummed a merry tune and swept up the leaves with much more vigour than what Xion gave him credit for, the two left the park swiftly, with Roxas promising he'd come back with cleaning equipment.

As they walked back real quick, Xion started to pant heavily. She had a _car_, and yes, she _did _exercise, but it was minimal, just enough to break into a sweat and delude the female into thinking that she had officially lost weight. She wasn't very fit, to be perfectly honest.

"Hey, you alright there?" Roxas had stopped in his tracks, looking at her with his head cocked slightly to a side.

"Huff...just...huff...tired..._urghh_..." Xion panted, gasping for air. At this, Roxas grinned. He walked over to her, turned away from her, and then bent down, gesturing for her to get on his back.

"It'll be faster that way. I promise I'll hold on to you real tight..." Roxas trailed off, and then he quietly added, "...if you promise not to let go of me."

Xion couldn't see his expression, but she silently got onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck securely. She whispered in response, "I promise."

* * *

"Um...Roxas?"

"Yeah?"

"Wh- ouch."

"_What happened_?"

"Calm down, Roxas, it's only a bruise..."

"Come here, let me see that."

"I'm still groping around for it...!"

Roxas grimaced and wiped off the sweat. They've been at it for about a few minutes now, but they hadn't found any food for their picnic. Roxas remembered that he had a stash of food somewhere, so they were searching the café back room for 'groceries', as Roxas had put it.

"Can't we take the leftover cupcakes instead? I'm completely fine with microwaved food, you know?" Xion whined.

"...Alright...but remind me to ask Axel about the food..."

"...are you going to interrogate him or something?"

"Duh. He's probably the only man alive who can eat his best friend's secret stash of food without any guilt to speak of."

"I think girls do that all the time, Roxas..."

"But he's going to be _thirty _soon!"

"...good point."

* * *

Xion only had to carry a bucket, half-filled with water, and some rags, but eventually her load was reduced to rags (literally) as Roxas calmly helped her with the bucket.

The old man was still sweeping up the place when they arrived, and he looked as though he was watching his grandson graduate from Cambridge University as the valedictorian, because he gave a cry of happiness and continued to sweep with even more vigour than before, whistling an old tune that Roxas actually knew of.

Xion set up the picnic once the old man was done, and after he bade them a very cheery farewell, with what seemed to be a million handshakes thanking them for everything. Roxas even got his business card, with "Invite me to your wedding!" scrawled behind it, but he slipped it in and quickly got his job done...at 9pm.

The blonde wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Well, that's done! And look at it."

They watched as the fountain truly glowed hues of red, orange, yellow, blue, purple, and every imaginable colour, brought to live as the angels engraved in white marble looked as though they were dancing. The marble was now a sleek white, and not a speck of dust could be found. Xion attributed it to Roxas' hard work, cleaning up everything to make an old man's day.

"You're a sweetie, really, Roxas. Doing all that..." Xion commented, smiling softly at the sight of the fountain. She didn't know why she did it, but she picked up Roxas' towel and scooted closer to him, dabbing at the sweat on his forehead.

Though she couldn't see it, Roxas felt himself blush, heat rising to his cheeks. "Um...thanks," he said, trying to relax as he felt Xion's body lean slightly towards him.

She reached over his shoulder and dabbed the back of his neck, then sat back in front of him and rubbed at his hair playfully, all while trying to absorb as much sweat as possible. "Urgh! Xion!" Roxas chided her, but he was grinning.

...and she lurched forward to kiss him, beneath the stars and by a glowing fountain.

* * *

**GASP IT'S DONE.**

**Happy AkuRoku Day, guys! I actually dedicated the first part of this chapter to AkuRoku. It's...cute. Hehe.**

**I made sure I stayed up to do up this chapter in time for AkuRoku Day, AND I'M 30 MINUTES ON TIME, IT IS 11.30PM AS I AM TYPING THIS. Yes, I know it could've been longer, but I just started to type this out yesterday, and I was aiming to publish _something _for AkuRoku Day...and this happened! I know the last chapter didn't have much Roxion, so I tried to make up for it here...but because of my time limit, this chapter is actually pretty short compared to all the other chapters. SORRY IF THIS BOTHERS YOU D: D: But I was having this crazy day. Woke up early just to have a Big McDonalds Breakfast Deluxe, went home and read my newspapers, then after that had to go out for petanque training, which is a french sport in which you stand in a hoop-like thing and throw balls. Very low-activity, which is absolutely perfect for me! It lasted all the way to 6, then I bathed and had dinner. Reached home at 8 and in between Facebook, Tumblr, MSN and teaching my sister her math, I quickly typed out what I've already thought through yesterday and today. BRILLIANT HUH?**

**Also...happy birthday, Ian! It's not exactly 12 midnight yet...but yes. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! If there's anyone you want to count on, THERE IS ME. Yes, I'm not one of the most reliable people, and I don't have a very strong shoulder, but...count on me, bro!**

**And to all the readers, THANKS FOR READING. Review (: **


	13. Trench

Roxas Strife usually prided himself on being more logical than people of his generation. The young, working generation. It didn't just mean people like Axel (who was another species on his own), but people of his age. He had always been logical-thinking, clear-minded, and that was something he was quite proud of.

But today, as he walked back in complete and utter silence with Xion Leonhart, his most prized characteristic failed him. His mind was just a blank slate. It was akin to what Naminé did when she was frustrated with herself; she'd do up a whole painting, and then suddenly rip it out, leaving a fresh, blank page. He wasn't very sure how; perhaps when they kissed, little Xion clones crawled out from Xion's oesophagus into Roxas's mouth, found their way to his brain, then ripped out the painting of his life that he had painstakingly done for the past 24 years.

And when he thought of bite-sized Xions crawling up his brain in search of a painting in the literal way, Roxas knew he had completely lost it.

"Hey, you okay?" Xion asked, for what seemed like the fifth time, and she gently touched his arm. For a split second Roxas thought he heard the ripping of paper. He groaned at himself.

Xion pulled away, and her touch left his arm. It was tingling with senses. "Sorry. Did I hurt you?"

Again Roxas tried to process this new information as his arm froze up and with a deep breath he shook his head wildly..._too _wildly.

"...if you say so, I guess," Xion gave him an amused smile and they continued to walk in silence. She didn't seem at all confused, and she seemed pretty intent to avoid the white elephant lumbering behind them like a fly that wouldn't go away until you kill it or swat it away.

Which made Roxas even more confused, because what was a socially awkward man to do when one of the most famous, notable, _beautiful _women in the country kisses him more than once, and then refuses to state what was their relationship was? Friends? Kissing buddies? _A couple?_

He rubbed at his temples and sighed. How, oh how was he going to start the topic? _Hey, Xion, are you my girlfriend, or are we kissing buddies?_

"What?" and that was when Roxas suddenly realised that his mind had disconnected itself from the rest of his body. He had absolutely no control of what he was doing, and he could only watch, in horror, as Xion looked at him, bewildered by what he had just verbalized. His control over his body came back to him and the blonde half- heartedly cursed himself for gaining control at such a horrid time.

"Um...I can explain...?" Roxas offered, biting his lips but he was met with an even more puzzled stare.

"Roxas, you have been clearly unhinged from just now. You just asked if I was your...what, a kissing _buddy_?" Xion repeated incredulously, her lips turning up slightly at the thought.

"U-Um, _no_! I-I just thought that- everything from that day we- I thought we- I-" Roxas couldn't even finish his sentence and Xion's quizzical and slightly mocking look put him off a little, so he pouted sulkily and crossed his arms, defeated by himself.

To his chagrin (not because it was insulting, but because it made his heart do something so strange it was worthy of an Olympic gymnastics medal), Xion laughed, as she patted Roxas' arm over and

over again. "Oh, Roxas, you must be feeling pretty bad, huh?"

"N-No! I'm just..._confused_," Roxas confessed, throwing up his hands. "I mean, we kissed. And well, normal friends _don't _kiss! I mean, I don't go around kissing my female friends, right?"

"Well, if you do I'd honestly be quite worried about you," Xion remarked, smiling.

"Y-Yeah, that's true. But that's not the point! I just- this is going to sound so weird- what _are _we?" Roxas asked, and it was more of a question for himself to confront. "Are we _dating_, or are we just disturbingly close friends, or kissing bu-"

"Roxas, please don't complete that sentence," she cut him off, blushing at the thought. Her smile widened slightly, and when the blonde noticed it, he couldn't help but give a nervous laugh.

"Good point; if there _was_ one person who would actually _have _kissing buddies, it'd be Axel." Roxas grinned. "I can imagine it. He'd have a whole list of them."

"Mm, maybe I should go ask him whether if there's an application form I need to fill up if I ever want him as a kissing buddy," Xion teased, smiling as Roxas instantly blushed a scarlet red, reminiscent of a strawberry.

"B-But no! He wouldn't actually _need_ kissing buddies!" Roxas retorted, and when he realised how worked up he was over the image of Xion being Axel's kissing buddy, he flared up even more at how embarrassing it was.

Xion didn't respond; she just gave a hearty laugh as they turned the corner and arrived back at the Oblivion café, which was now closed. The lights were off and aside from Roxas and Xion, there wasn't much else on the street.

Roxas heaved a sigh of relief in his mind. Xion was avoiding the real topic and honestly, he wasn't very sure how he would tackle it as well. He _liked _her; that was a fact, but was he ready for this imaginary 'next step' that the blonde thought that they could take? And how much did he have to like her to qualify as a boyfriend?

The questions were stupid; something that seemed so trivial, but they swirled about in his mind incessantly, bugging him for an answer.

He didn't have any.

"Oh yeah, Roxas, I've wanted to ask you this, but it kept on slipping my mind," Xion started, as Roxas peeked through the glass door, making sure that Axel, Demyx and Zexion had put everything back in place, "but how long have you worked in here?"

Roxas shrugged. "A year, I guess. Axel joined up a few months ago, actually. He was working an office job; fixing up appointments for a local dentist and the works of being a receptionist."

"And he hated it, didn't he?" Xion guessed. The thought of Axel sitting at a desk all day long glaring at the patients waiting for their dental check-up just didn't seem right.

"Yeah. It wasn't..._him_." Roxas smiled. "He actually likes talking and interacting with strangers. He's eccentric, yes, and that's probably his most outstanding characteristic. Everyone loves him because of that. He has regulars at our café, actually."

"Really?" Xion smiled, as Roxas turned to his car. He unlocked it and they both got in. "Like who?"

"I'll drop you off at your place, alright?" Roxas said absently, and then he answered her question, "There's this really sweet old lady who comes in for coffee and a slice of chocolate fudge cake every morning, just when we're starting up. We all thought she was scary when we first saw her, but Axel just...well, he started talking to her, about small stuff. She took to him quite well."

As he started the engine and started a slow drive, he continued. "There were quite a few others too. A young boy who came in one day, after school, because his mum said she'd meet him there. He was quite shy but Axel let him sit down and got him a drink on the house. They just started chatting about all sorts of things and by the time his mum came half an hour later, the boy didn't want to leave. So they'd come in every Wednesday. He'd bond with Axel first, then his mum would come in and they'd have this mother-son time together discussing all sorts of things, because in a way, Axel warmed him up."

Xion's eyes sparkled. "Never thought of Axel as anything but a pyromaniac..."

"Yeah, it's a side of him that's been itching to come out. He dropped by one day during his off-day, sat down, and just went around talking to customers. Greeting them and the likes. Marluxia saw what Axel did and offered him a job at the café."

"Ah, and everything goes downhill after that, huh?" Xion grinned. "Axel seems lazy but he has this human touch to the service, huh?"

Roxas nodded, smiling. "Yep, that's how it i-"

He was interrupted with Xion's handphone ringing noisily in her pocket. Grumbling to herself, she answered the call. "Hello?...oh. Sora, it's night time. Dinner was hours ago. Who'd want a date _now_?"

And when Roxas heard Sora's muffled reply, Xion suddenly froze up. "I'm not going, Sora!" she snarled, eyes narrowed. "And I told you this before, Sora. Yes, I know he's your childhood friend too- What?"

Furiously, Xion clenched her teeth. "He did _what_?" There was a long, frightful silence that made Roxas retreat in the leather seat. Xion looked as though she was about to blow her top, and then, "...alright, fine! But if he does something out of line..."

She fumbled in her bag, searching fruitlessly for some paper and a pen. Roxas calmly reached underneath his car seat and handed her a faded notebook and a pen that probably saw better days. Xion looked at Roxas, torn between amusement at him, and annoyance at the phone call, before she mouthed a 'thank you' and replied, "Yeah, I got it...uh huh...okay..."

She scribbled rather quickly and when she finished her note with a stab at the paper for a full-stop, Xion nodded at herself, and growled, "You'd best warn him!" before slapping her phone shut.

"Another date?" Roxas asked, as he started his car engine again. He had slowed his car to a snail's crawl, and eventually stopped driving altogether, instead choosing to park by the pavement, politely waiting for Xion.

"The worst of its kind!" Xion spat, as she tore the page she had scribbled on and handed the notebook back to Roxas with some form of vindiction. "That bastard wants _another chance_, huh? Really, this is just too much!"

Roxas just let her rant on and on for five minutes of how much she hated the guy, before she turned to him. "I'm sorry," she apologised, slightly pink now that she realised that she had been ranting for quite some time, all while Roxas was silent, "you should've told me I was ranting."

The blonde shook his head genially. "It's alright. I find it nice-"

When he was met with a half-stare half-glare from Xion, he realised that he needed to be more specific. "N-Not nice um, Riku. But your ranting, I found it, um, nice! B-But not because your ranting is um-"

Before he could get his words jumbled up, Xion patted his hand tenderly and Roxas found himself staring stupidly at her hand on his, without another word coming out of his mouth. "Okay. Take me here, won't you...?"

* * *

They reached a grand street filled with flashing neon lights, famous boutiques and even more famous restaurants. Roxas whistled at the restaurant they stopped in front of. Even _he _knew of this place; it was any culinary chef's dream to work among the best, cook with the best, and serve the best. It was cuisine of its finest.

Xion, however, looked at the restaurant in disdain. "I had my first date here with him," she whispered quietly.

Roxas thought of his first date with Xion, and he had a flash of Axel embarrassing him with snippets of his life that were much better off buried. He frowned a little. "I-Is the food here nice?" he asked her uncertainly, as they approached the Oathkeepers' Restaurant.

"Yeah, it's great; almost as good as yours," Xion replied airily, and even though she didn't sound as though she meant it, Roxas felt a surge of pride in himself for having food comparable to _the Oathkeepers,_ even if it was in the eyes of just one woman.

"Shall we go in, then?" Roxas prompted, his insides suddenly excited. He wanted to see the chefs in action, and taste the food that wowed thousands of well-off patrons.

Xion looked at him as though she hadn't noticed that he was there, and with a distracted nod she let herself be guided into the restaurant, where, years ago, Riku had swept her off her feet.

* * *

The patrons were all well-dressed. Roxas, in a grey shirt that read "DO NOT LIKE", and faded jeans, suddenly felt the piercing gazes of perhaps 20 guests, as they looked at him up and down, and then examined his partner. They nodded approvingly at Xion to themselves; she looked splendid after she changed into a silky blue chiffon dress, even if that particular dress had been conveniently in the car "for at least a week or so".

"Um...by chance, is there a suit somewhere around here?" Roxas asked, self-consciously trying to tug his hair down. He looked down at his shirt and saw a coffee stain on it, much to his chagrin.

Xion finally glanced at him and smiled. "You look just fine to me. Come on," she took his hand bravely and marched into a suite right at the back of the restaurant. The door was adorned with gold and silver linings, and it was something burglars would definitely want to steal and sell, for it was so grand Roxas couldn't even bear to touch it. Xion, however, hastily opened the door in plain sight of the other patrons, and dragged the blonde in as well,without another word.

"Hello, Xion." a warm voice greeted them and Roxas felt Xion freeze.

Riku gave them a warm smile. "Why, Xion, I ask you for a date and you bring your own?" He didn't expect a response. "It's alright, Roxas, I have a table for you. The food and all's settled, but the menu's there for your scrutinisation. Thought you'd be interested in it."

Roxas couldn't help but flinch at how welcoming Riku was. "Um...where is it?" he asked stupidly. There weren't any tables around, and Roxas certainly didn't see an extra third chair somewhere.

"I'll have someone escort you out," Riku said, nodding at the waiter who had somehow camouflaged into the background of the room. As he emerged, Roxas let out a yelp of surprise, though this didn't come off as odd to the waiter, who beckoned Roxas out.

"Um, wait, Xion?" Roxas cast her a wary glance. "Will you be okay...?"

Xion gave him a hard smile. She probably intended for it to be a nice smile, but from how she was smiling Roxas felt as though she was trying to threaten him instead of comfort him. "I'll be alright, Roxas," she said mechanically, looking at Riku.

"...okay, then..." Roxas slowly walked out of the room, as the door closed shut behind him.

* * *

As he stepped into the room beside Xion's and Riku's, he suddenly suppressed the urge to squeal. There were rows and rows of dishes to sample, placed elegantly on five long tables, labelled 'Appetizers', 'Main Courses', 'Vegetarian', 'Dessert' and 'Drinks'.

"W-What _is _this?" Roxas asked, and the waiter behind him looked affronted.

"Your dinner, sir!" he replied, bowing. Roxas just gaped. He suddenly felt his stomach grumble and he felt thankful that Axel stole nearly all his food for dinner a few hours ago.

As the question, "How do I finish this?" entered his mind, the answer struck him on the head – literally.

"You cooked all _this_," and Axel gestured at the tables, "for _me_? What day is it today? I'm making today my second birthday of the year, man!"

"A-Axel? W-What are you doing here? A-And-!" he widened his eyes as a waiter escorted his sister in. Naminé strode into the restaurant, her apron still on, and wet paint still dotted on it. "N-Naminé?"

"Hey, Roxas. I didn't know you were so free, cooking up all these," Naminé took her brother's arm and pulled him between the 'Appetizers' and 'Main Courses' tables, as they piled a little bit of everything on the plate. Axel was behind, and he looked absolutely upset to be stuck there.

"N-No, these aren't mine, Riku- I guess he just...paid for our dinner..." Roxas trailed off, then looked at Naminé. "Have you eaten?"

"Not yet. Riku came to our school and told me that I would be picked up at 10pm. I thought it was all a joke so I didn't really bother. I forgot dinner and I was painting my landscape again when a nice limousine pulled up and the teacher ushered me in. Next thing I know, I'm here." Naminé looked thoughtfully at the food.

Axel yawned. "If Riku gives me this treatment everyday, I say apology accepted, asshole!" he cheered. "But he's still an asshole." With that, the redhead picked up an egg tart and shovelled it into his mouth. Within seconds, his facial expression changed from slight annoyance, to deep bliss, to something Axel termed the orgasmic face. He lingered at the back and took a few more egg tarts and went on to the second dish.

"Roxas, by chance, do you know why we're here?" Naminé asked, as she settled for a slice of shepherd's pie and a small assortment of other foods.

"Not really. First Riku asked Xion out for a date, and then next, the waiter brings me here." The blonde sighed and scratched his head, as they sat down in their seats, digging into their appetizers. "Maybe he just wants to be alone with her."

Naminé nodded thoughtfully. "Will she be alright?"

"Yeah. She seemed fine. Just annoyed. She'll be fine; she's always been fine," Roxas replied, smiling at the thought of her. As he chewed at the bruschetta, he frowned. "Too much salt in this one. Tomato isn't very strong."

Naminé furrowed her eyebrows, then took a forkful of it. "It tastes fine, Roxas," she commented.

"No, no, the bruschetta doesn't bring out the tomato taste, and that's a distinctive feature of the brusch-"

"_The guest did not like the bruschetta that Master Aqua made!_" A waiter screamed in horror. "We must inform our Oathkeepers immediately!"

Two waitresses squealed and ran out of the door, and Roxas gulped. He quickly shovelled the bruschetta in his mouth and swallowed it, before downing it with water.

Axel apparently didn't even notice the commotion as he sat down with a near empty plate. He looked at it and frowned. "Damn, I need to take more food; must've eaten along the way back he-"

Suddenly, the door swung open, and one very infuriated blue-haired woman stormed in, armed with two chopping knives. A brown-haired man walked in, trying hard to control his female friend, and finally, a boy who looked almost exactly like Roxas strode in, laughing until he met Roxas' horrified gaze.

"_WHO DARES TO INSULT MY CULINARY SKILLS_!" the female roared, shaking and whipping her knives out, as the waiters around cowered in corners out of fright. She glared at the three guests sitting at the table; Axel looked as though he could just throw himself on the chef right there, Naminé looked worried and Roxas...

"H-How the hell do you look like _ME_?" Roxas screeched, pointing at the blonde boy.

"Don't look at me, punk!" the blonde shot back.

"Ventus, don't scream at the guest like that; you're just an apprentice," the older man chided.

"Yes, Terra, but why the hell does Aqua get to do it?" he whined, crossing his arms in distress.

"Because she's the ultimate Master, I guess," Terra muttered.

Aqua stormed over to Roxas and pointed a knife at him. "SO! Mr Ventus-look-alike-know-it-all! Tell me! What's _BAD_ about my cooking?" she demanded, jabbing the knife in his general direction.

"I-I-" Roxas swallowed, shut his eyes and pointed at the offending bruschetta on Naminé's plate. "T-There's too much salt and there's not much tomato taste, _YES SIR I WON'T DO IT AGAIN_!"

Naminé stifled a laugh as Roxas instinctively dropped to the floor and started punishing himself by doing push-ups, his face torn between spilling tears and screaming indignantly at all this. Apparently, serving for a short period of time in the army influenced Roxas greatly.

Ignoring the label 'sir', Aqua calmly walked to her brsuchettas and took a great bite, her face scrunched in concentration. After what seemed like so long, Aqua took a long look at Roxas and nodded once. "You're right."

Terra and Ventus exchanged horrified glances. "A-Are you sure?" Ventus asked, but before he could protest, Aqua shoved one bruschetta into the apprentice's mouth. He chewed at it, and make several faces of concentration, before he swallowed and hung his head low. "You're right..." He looked directly at Roxas and grinned. "You know, you're one of the first guests who tried to insult her cooking -"

"I was stating a -huff- FACT!" Roxas exclaimed, clearly upset that the woman had somehow brought him to his knees – literally.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but _you_! You _actually _found a flaw in it!" Ventus raved, looking at Aqua. "I mean, Aqua's cooking is _flawless_!"

"To think that I started to cook only because you two couldn't make instant noodles to save your life..." Aqua quietly muttered, and Roxas looked at his food in disbelief. From someone who couldn't make instant noodles...to head chefs of the _Oathkeepers' _?

Ventus laughed and offered a hand to Roxas, who was still on the floor, recovering from his push-ups. "I'm Ventus Lockhart; nice to meet you!" he greeted, grinning. "As you can tell, I'm the apprentice!"

"Lockhart...Lockhart...wasn't it that pompous ass in _Harry Potter_?" Axel asked. "Or was it Xion's surname...?" The redhead looked confounded with the new bit of information linked with his knowledge.

Naminé patted Axel's arm motherly, as though he were a baby confused as to why a square was called a square and not a circle. "Gilderoy Lockhart, yes, Axel, he's from _Harry Potter_, sweetie, and no, it's not Xion's surname. She's Xion _Leonhart_, remember...?"

"Xion...Leonhart?" Terra spoke mildly, cocking his head a little. Then he realised and nodded, "Ah, the lovely lady Riku's courting next door? I've read her articles; they're the sort of articles that make you smile."

Roxas looked at Terra and as if on cue, Terra smiled at him, before dropping into a emotionless expression.

Ventus gaped at them. "No way! I cooked for _Xion Leonhart_?" he asked incredulously, his mouth still agape, and he turned to Aqua with that incredulous expression. In turn, Aqua placed a delicate finger beneath his chin, and slammed his mouth back shut.

"Yes, you did, Ventus." Aqua rolled her eyes at him.

"Can I have her autograph?" Ventus asked eagerly, his eyes flashing. Even Terra looked mildly interested in that.

Aqua raised her knives and the two men backed away. "YES AQUA MA'AM!" Ventus saluted hurriedly, before breaking into a sprint for the kitchen with Terra.

Finally, the blue-haired woman turned to Roxas, eyeing him purposefully. "Well, sorry for, um, brandishing my knives at you." She waved her knives casually, and Roxas found himself inching away from her. "Anyway...I have a feeling we'll meet you soon. So...um, enjoy your meal, okay? And real sorry. I just tend to get..."

Naminé smiled at Aqua. "Protective whenever someone tries to find a flaw in your art?"

Aqua fixed a meaningful gaze at Naminé and nodded. "Yeah. Culinary is an art form. And we're supposed to be the best, so of course I tend to get really defensive."

The blonde girl. "I understand you perfectly. I'm studying art, you see. It's hard, because in art, you have to stand out, be unique, be yourself."

At this, Aqua nodded understandingly. "I know. It's a tough life, but I love it. Anyway, gotta get back to the kitchen; Terra may seem tough, but he's really soft on Ventus. So...see you guys soon!"

* * *

Once they had started on desserts, a waiter walked in to deliver news from next door.

"Ms Leonhart will be driven home by Riku himself, so please, feel free to leave once you are done. There is a limousine waiting for you outside."

Axel looked at his plate, practically piled with assortments of cakes, and then stared at the final table that had yet to be touched. "B-But we're not even done yet!"

"Yes, but even so, the limousine will wait for you." The waiter bowed. "Take your time."

But before he could leave, Roxas stood up. "Wait!"

"Yes, Mr Strife?"

Roxas flinched slightly at the formality, but then he gulped and said, "Can I see Xion for a bit?"

"Ms Leonhart?" The waiter nodded once. "Let me see if that can be arranged."

* * *

"Hey guys," Xion walked in, her face flushed, but Roxas could see a smile trying to creep its way onto her face.

"Yo, Xion!" Axel waved, as he struggled to swallow the three cakes in his mouth. He didn't speak for a while, as he chewed patiently and tried to force it in.

"Hello, Xion," Naminé greeted, smiling.

"How's everything?" Roxas asked, trying not to let panic rise in his voice. He suddenly felt very jumpy, and from Xion's glowing face he somehow didn't want to know the answer...and yet, he _had _to know.

Xion looked away shyly. "You know...I thought I'd scream at him after he completed a sentence...but he said that he's been going to a private psychologist to sort things out by himself...and this date was just a result of how well it's been going."

"And then...I felt true sincerity when he said sorry...so..." Xion smiled. "We started talking things through and now we've just been catching up on each others' lives, you know?"

Roxas just stared. An hour ago she was furious and cold...but now...?

Before Axel could make a snide remark, before Naminé could say anything, before Roxas could try to snap her out of it, the same waiter walked in. "Ms Leonhart, are you finished?"

"Oh, yes." She turned to the three of them. "Well, see you guys, okay? Tomorrow at the café."

And with each step she took away from him towards the man they once loathed, Roxas felt the hole in his heart gnaw deeper, and deeper, until it became a trench that he inevitably fell into.

* * *

**zomg I stayed up late to finish this chapter and I'm expected to wake up at 7.40am tomorrow for breakfast with mummy and daddy teehee.**

ANYWAY. Um, well, I think I got the whole general plot written down in my notebook. So...yeah, expect to see more updates. There's a reason why everything's like this. 

**READ AND REVIEW AND VISIT MY TUMBLR :3 dreary-laugh. tumblr. com **


	14. Another Unexplained Date

"Wow, what a turnabout, huh?" Naminé remarked, smiling as she took a small sip of the premium fruit juice offered at the 'Drinks' table. "I thought Xion hated Riku with a vengeance, but now..."

Axel, shooting a glare at his drink as though it were Riku in orange juice form, spoke next. "I bet Xion has a secret plan to assassinate Riku," he whispered conspiratorially, "and now she's just planning to get into his bed, and kill him after they have rough, evil, vicious se-"

"Axel!" Naminé gasped, aghast, but that soon turned into another sly smile of hers that spelled doom. "That is a fantastic idea!"

"You think so?" Axel beamed at her. He took out his trusty lighter Alice. "Alice, she agrees with me- what did you say, baby? You're dirty? Ooh, my, why didn't you voice it out earlier?"

"...Axel, she is kind of...filthy." Naminé looked at the lighter sympathetically, as though to say she understood how painful it was to be Axel's lighter, and then she handed him a napkin. "Clean her, Axel."

"Right, right. Here I go, baby." Axel started to polish her meticulously, as Naminé turned to her brother.

"Are you okay, Roxas? You haven't touched your food since Xion left," she pointed out worriedly, as she affectionately touched his hand.

Roxas pulled away, to her surprise. His eyes were downcast and suddenly, Naminé saw what he truly felt like at that moment – a shell of a human, who suddenly lost his light. "I'm alright, really; I'm just not hungry anymore," Roxas gently replied, and it felt as though he was saying it softly not because he didn't want to hurt Naminé with the full onslaught of how he felt, but because he didn't want to hurt himself anymore. Every action he took bruised him mentally, and Roxas knew why.

Axel looked at him, deeply concerned, and coming from a man who usually laughed at everyone's misery to cheer them up, this was something new. "Don't lie to me, Roxy boy," Axel chided, mimicking an old man's voice, "Grampy Axel knows you from top to bottom!" At this, he lecherously winked at Roxas, looking him up and down.

Naminé laughed, and Roxas forced a smile that made even Axel frown. "I ate your dinner just now, Roxas," he said slowly, "and you ate less than half of what you normally eat! There's something up with you, Roxas."

"I'm fine, really." And to prove his point, Roxas gulped down his drink. "There. I'm fine. Let's just...eat, and enjoy this."

Roxas realised, that no matter how hard he tried to fake a laugh well, or smile, no behaviour could ever escape the pair of emerald eyes watching him intently throughout the rest of the night.

Axel.

* * *

Roxas stepped into the shower and relaxed as the pounding water hit at his body, leaving him mildly numb.

He wasn't sure how, or why, or even what was making him feel so strange. He wasn't sure what to feel; angry? Upset? Nonchalant? And when he needed answers the most, with what happened at the restaurant...his mind failed him by pulling a blank slate.

At least she promised to come down to the café tomorrow...and maybe everything will be the same, he thought miserably to himself; the blonde imagined her broad grin stepping out of a posh limousine no doubt driven by Riku. She would come once, and leave his life after that. Xion was polite and sophisticated; she wouldn't break a promise, but she wouldn't drop by, probably to isolate herself from Roxas...

And at that thought, he brutally swiped at the water, splashing it against his face, like a stinging slap. No, he thought, but throughout his shower the thought of it plagued him endlessly.

He sighed. How could he be so stupid? Fine, Xion loved the first date, and subsequently, he had grown to like Xion more than he expected, to the extent where he thought that perhaps they were already a couple, or even friends with benefits. They'd kissed, she'd slept in his bed once, and logically, their friendship was something more, wasn't it?

But what was he to Xion? A respite from the hectic life of a famous journalist? A way to live life? A solution instead of a man?

Or was he just a replacement in her eyes? Perhaps he had amounted to nothing when compared with Riku. Roxas admitted the harsh facts – between himself and Riku, Riku was probably more suited to be a boyfriend, and eventually, husband, and even father. He had the money to support the family financially, and form the warmth Riku emanated on that day, he could handle children very well. He had both sides; his cold, harsh personality that got him such a prestigious job, and a warmth that made him so human. Together, they were a complementary set; near perfection.

And Roxas...what did he have? Yes, he could cook should Xion ever turn her steak into dust, and he had a job...but was it enough? He could barely support Naminé; she worked extremely hard to obtain a scholarship that was solely for the academically-inclined. He could pay the rent for the small apartment he shared with Axel.

But he was struggling. How could he ever dream of supporting a family financially when he couldn't even help himself?

He couldn't depend on the bastard of a father, Cloud, for he had moved and refused to fund for Naminé's art ambitions, or Roxas' culinary dreams. He had remarried, Roxas was told, and had a son who was in the business sector, earning almost thrice as much as what Roxas was earning. He had no other relatives, and that was that.

Roxas laughed mirthlessly to himself; how could he even fathom the thought of Xion Leonhart dating him? She had a pure heart, and she'd fall for a guy who would give her eternal happiness, but in a world where money was deeply engraved in the mind of society, since when did fairytales exist? Xion would think of the stability, everything.

And even if she didn't...Roxas couldn't just marry her without being able to promise her a happy life. It was unfair, an injustice to her. And Roxas knew that if it was for her happiness...

I'd do anything for her.

The sudden, unexpected, yet entirely sincere thought struck him as he stepped out of the shower and dried himself. He pulled on a white shirt and boxers, and walked out, drying his hair with his towel. "Hey, Axel," Roxas mumbled a greeting, but paused when he saw the redhead sitting upright at the dining chair.

It wasn't normal; Axel was usually found slumped in his red beanbag, either tossing Alice in his hands, watching the television, or sleeping. He was rarely found sitting rigidly at the table, set in deep thought.

"Axel? You alright, there?" Roxas hesitantly voiced out, and he was met with a pair of surprisingly serious eyes.

"I'm alright..." Axel drawled, his eyes not leaving the blonde, "but I can't say the same for you, Roxas."

Roxas had been best friends with Axel since forever, but the blonde had rarely witnessed Axel's serious side. There were a few times when Axel was genuinely upset about something.

At 8, when a teacher suggested that he should see the school counsellor, the boy had went without so much of a fight; in fact, it seemed as though he was taking it more as a joke. But when the same teacher came back to him and told him that he should see an actual psychologist because of certain "behavioural" problems, the fiery redhead had hit back verbally, with a calmness and maturity so eeriely unlike himself that no one in school except for a very awed Roxas dared to talk to him at all for weeks.

"Axel, what are you-"

"Xion."

Her very name made him freeze, and Roxas saw a ghost of a smile on his face. The blonde's very reaction had proven, without a doubt, Axel's unannounced case against Roxas.

"You're just upset because you think you've lost her, right?" Axel asked, raising an eyebrow at Roxas.

"Can we not talk about this now?" Roxas snapped.

The redhead didn't back down, even when Roxas threw him an upset, infuriated glare that warned against what he was going to continue. "You're just upset because in one date, Riku stole away the girl you thought you'd marry. Just a few hours ago, you two were definitely in love."

And for a split second, Axel's expression turned wistful, before it hardened as he continued, "Now, you just find yourself hopelessly lost, just because a guy with more money-"

"Thanks a lot, Ax," Roxas mumbled.

"-a better ass,"

And at this, Roxas's hand slipped to his butt and realised that this was true.

"-and a far more deeper history with Xion just took her away from you, right next to our room!" Axel was standing up at this point, energized at how one moment could rob Roxas of his happiness.

"You're just going to give up on your girl like that?" Axel spat, glowering at his best friend. "Just because some rich-ass man captures her attention for one date?"

"...no..."

"Jealousy sucks; yeah, that's a fact, but ain't no way are you going to get all wimpy and upset about tonight, expecially on Axel's watch!" he snarled, and the two best friends locked eyes. It was like watching a wrestling match no one could actually see; Axel's red-hot emerald eyes against Roxas' cold sapphire eyes.

"I tell you this, Roxas," Axel murmured, so softly Roxas didn't breathe, "you won't ever give up on love. I've tried so hard to find a woman who would love me just as passionately as myself; you know that ever since high school. And every single time I think of giving up, I think of you back when we were stupid teens; you always said that there'll be a special someone waiting for you, and that will be when you finally fall in love. Fall in love once, and once only. That's what you said."

"I've been following the same footsteps as you. Yes, I flirt, and yes, I'm a womanizer, but all I'm doing is to filter out one-night casual flings, and leave no stone unturned. Someday, I'll meet her; just you wait! But for now, I'm making sure I know who'll get my heart broken should I ever fall in love with her. I'm more proactive in finding the special someone we're all looking for."

Roxas finally became soft on Axel's upset gaze, and they both knew that Axel's words had slapped the blonde right in the face. Axel had never openly talked about how he felt, dating all those girls, getting cheated and cheating right back at them. And despite Axel's sexual aura, he hadn't even had sex yet; they both knew they'd never succumb to having pre-marital sex. It was an unspoken value they both shared in common; they were both highly idealistic when it came to love. They both treasured that, but to what degree, they weren't very sure.

But as Roxas looked at Axel, he knew that Axel cherished true love far more deeply than most people could ever comprehend.

"Axel..."

The redhead gave an angry pout to lighten the situation. "If you don't get happy by tomorrow morning, you're out of the house, alright?"

"…Axel, _I'm _the one paying the rent, you know."

Axel considered this and then scowled stupidly. "Well…you're still getting kicked out!" And with that irrelevant statement, he slid out of the room, leaving Roxas with a genuine smile on his face.

* * *

Roxas was feeling quite pleasant by the time he woke up, and he was almost certain that no one would ruin his mood, not even Riku if he tried. As he moved away from the bacon sizzling on the frying pan, he opened the door to Axel's bedroom and went back to his cooking.

Like an indulgent pyromaniac to his lighter, Axel was soon rushing out of his room with a fork. "Where's the bacon, Rox?" he demanded, staring at the frying pan behind the blonde.

"Right here, Ax," Roxas replied, dumping the 10 pieces of bacon on Axel's plate. He rolled his eyes as Axel shoved in 5 pieces in his mouth, and took a bite of his already-made sandwich.

Within ten minutes they finished their breakfast, changed, got out of the house and reached the café, all ready for work. Roxas didn't even panic (a remarkable feat considering how paranoid he was sometimes) when Xion walked in with Riku. She was smiling, and holding on to his arm, but when she saw Roxas she left Riku's side and flocked towards the blonde. "Hey, Rox," she greeted, smiling as she watched him change his course of direction; he already knew her order and was reaching out for her mug, "sorry I couldn't join you yesterday. I was…"

"Caught up?" Roxas flashed an I'm-a-saint-so-everything-will-be-cool smile and handed Xion a slice of her favourite cake. "I get it. Totally. _Completely_. Yep. Everything's alright!"

He heard Axel smack his forehead and stifle a snort, and that was when he realized that he was a little too quick to reassure. Xion shot him a quizzical look that soon turned into a knowing glance. "I see what's happening now," she whispered, such that only the two of them could hear, and she grinned at him like how Naminé would grin at him if she wanted something and knew she was going to go to the ends of the Earth to attain it.

"You were_ jealous_, weren't you, Roxas?" Xion teased, grinning from ear to ear. She was clearly enjoying the internal conflict occurring in his head, the contorted expression on his face, the squeezing shut of his eyes, the light tint of an unmistakable blush on his cheeks.

"N-_NO_, I wasn't!" Roxas half-shouted, half-whimpered, and then he suddenly pulled away and pursed his lips, afraid to say more to further contradict his statement.

"I never knew you were the _jealous _sort, Roxas," Xion continued on, not bothering to listen to a single peep from him, "though you _do _look the part…" and with that, she chuckled to herself, just as Riku came along.

"Hello, Roxas," he greeted politely, smiling as he put a hand on Xion's shoulder. Xion looked at his hand, and shot Roxas an expectant glance, waiting for his reaction, which was, in Xion's mind, Roxas slapping his hand away and blushing crazily.

"Hello, Riku," Roxas replied back, and forced a strained smile which made Xion beam, "and thanks for yesterday."

"Not a problem," Riku replied smoothly, adjusting his suit. "It was my pleasure."

Xion shrugged away from Riku's grasp, and watched as Roxas' lips curved into a small, reassured smile. Riku looked mildly miffed, but he still had that sanguine smile on his face. "So, Roxas, you have to do bodyguard duty today!"

"W-Wha- oh, right. Sure thing." Roxas gave a nervous chortle, and then turned away. He had completely forgotten that Xion was _paying _him to just sit there and make sure nothing funny would happen. Despite having zero experience and having no martial arts skill of any form (aside from brandishing heavy objects to scare others), he was still being paid to do a completely foreign task.

"Ah, your _Love Critic_ duties?" Roxas couldn't help but give a tiny scowl as Riku butted in.

Xion raised a single eyebrow at Roxas, then turned to Riku and nodded. "Yep. Naturally. If I didn't have them I would be stuffing myself silly with Roxas' cupcakes, to be honest!"

"Oh, that's a shame; I was thinking of bringing you out for dinner," Riku said loudly, giving Roxas a sidelong glance to gauge his expression. The blonde quickly turned to stare at the coffee machine as it churned out a cup for his consumption.

Xion looked at both grown men and shook her head, more at their stupidity than at Riku's question. "I'd really rather go do my work today," she responded pleasantly, before she took the cup that Roxas handed her. "Thanks for the coffee."

"My pleasure," Roxas said with a slight undertone of triumph. He smiled and continued to systematically prepare the café, as he watched a few of their regular guests walk in.

Demyx strode in along with an elderly couple; regular guests that he had grown fond of. Helping the couple to their usual spot by the window, he then walked over to Xion and Riku. "Yo, Xi-Xi! Hiya, Ri-Ri! Go grab a seat before the regulars come in. Oh, but wait, that table is taken by a businessman; always sucking up Wi-Fi from the shop next door. And that table is…" he trailed off and started muttering inaudibly to himself, as he easily took Xion's arm and dragged her around the area, checking off certain tables.

Roxas smiled as Riku gloomily turned to follow Xion, then found Axel leering at his face creepily. "…Axel, what are you doing with your face near mine?"

"Oh, nothing, just examining the pimple over there," Axel said dismissively, pointing and circling at Roxas' entire cheek.

"…go away." Then, he shot Axel a death glare. "I do _not _have pimples!" he insisted, rubbing at his face.

"If you say so…" Axel responded in a singsong voice, as he moved over to the counter and checked the order list. "Time to get out the coffee mugs, Rox!"

* * *

By the time the crowd had mostly dispersed in the afternoon, with only a few guests left, Roxas realized that Riku had left several hours ago, and Xion had been sitting there, diligently typing on her Macbook Air. She looked up as Roxas approached her table. "Hey, Roxas," she greeted, as he helped himself to the seat opposite her, "I finished a bunch of stuff here. This environment is really good for doing work! I mean, look at all the students here!"

"I guess it's the coffee and the nice clean tables…?" Roxas sheepishly remarked.

"Mm, maybe. Or _is it_?" Xion asked vaguely, as she leaned to her left to peek at the female students at the next table. She looked around the café and grinned.

"…is it?" he asked stupidly, confused.

"I see the way they stare at you, Roxas," Xion replied vaguely again.

"…so…the table is so clean my reflection stares at me?" Roxas looked at the table, checking a bit of his hair and unconsciously rubbing at the place where Axel claimed a pimple had sprouted.

"...Roxas, you _really _don't know what I'm going on about, aren't you?" Xion asked him with a look of amusement again. "You."

"Me. Me…what?"

"_You_! _You're _the reason why this café is severely overpopulated with female students!" Xion hissed, grinning. "You must've been quite a charmer!"

"B-But I'm just…I don't know, peculiar, maybe!" Roxas retorted, blushing. "I'm weird and maybe a little socially awkward; I mean, I used to be called The Sexually Confused because I cook and I cook better than some girls!"

At that, Xion laughed and raised both her arms in mock defeat. "I admit very humbly that I'm one of those girls…!"

Roxas gulped. "You don't cook _that _bad!"

"Don't lie to me, Roxas. I'm paying for you to prepare my meals for a reason, you know."

"Fine, anyway. As I was saying," and Roxas paused to collect his thoughts and process them into tangible words, "I'm just…a very strange individual."

"Oh, Roxas," Xion mumbled, smiling a little, "we all love you because you're just…you know, _you_."

She leaned over the table and patted his hand. "Don't be so worried, Rox, just take it as a compliment, please. Not every man gets to have so much female attention."

"…so…it's not a bad thing, right? To have all this…"

"Of course it's not, unless you have a girlfriend. Unless your girlfriend is me; frankly I'd be quite happy if you had me as your girlfriend despite all the other girls you can get." Xion grinned at him, and Roxas couldn't even suppress the glowing blush and the rising temperatures as she then turned back to her laptop, typing a little bit with a whimsical smile on her face.

"SO!" Before Roxas could soak in his moment, Axel butted in, as he poured a refill for Xion, "Who's the handsomer, more charming and better man? Roxas, or Riku? No in-betweens, love." Axel gave Roxas a genuine look of having Roxas' best interests at heart, and Roxas' frown turned into a pout of sorts.

Xion's answer was instantaneous. "Roxas."

"W-WHAT?" Roxas shouted out, as he threw himself back in his chair. The force of his body caused the chair to wobble a little, before it toppled right back over, and Roxas flew to the ground with a flourish. Even that didn't stop his flabbergasted mouth from babbling, "You really think I'm better than Riku?"

Axel clapped in awe and announced, "This is the man who makes your coffee and your cakes, my dear guests! And to celebrate his fall, free flow of coffee at the counter!" and people cheered in unison as they laughed cheerily and went back to their drinks. Axel added to himself cheekily, "…while stocks last…" as Xion went over to offer Roxas a hand at getting up.

"So you really think so?" Roxas asked again, as she pulled him to his feet with a bit of difficulty.

"Absolutely, Roxas. And I'm judging as the Love Critic, and judging as a friend." Xion squeezed his hand, held it for a few seconds more than necessary, before releasing it and smiling right at him. "Roxas, you think you're imperfect, and you're right. But I think I like the imperfections of yours."

Roxas blushed as she pinched his cheeks. "Don't you think so too, Axel?"

The redhead pretended to give Roxas a major lookover, even going so far as to poke the blonde's butt ("_Axel!_"), before nodding thoughtfully. "Absolutely. Your imperfections include having a cuter butt than most females. No offense to your butt, though, Xion, I think they're great too."

"…Axel, you embarrass me to no end."

"I love you too, Roxas." Axel blew Roxas a large, soppy kiss before remembering something. "NOW! I'm gonna go check on Dem and Zexy Wexy at the counter. Poor guys making coffee all day long, must've been so tiring for them, they need to pick up slack! I'll go put them in their place, Roxas!" Without a second glance, he skipped off, leaving Xion and Roxas to their own devices.

The raven-haired female checked her watch dismissively. "A few more minutes til we leave for the date. You all set to go off?"

"Um, yeah, I guess. Do I have to dress up or something?"

Xion paused. "Just go as long as you're comfortable, I believe. You're not very good with formal wear, aren't you?"

"But your date today won't mind, right? Having a guy in jeans watching his every move?" Roxas shifted uncomfortably. "I-I can dress up, I guess. It'll just take time for me to tie up my bow tie or something."

"No, no, it's alright, I don't think he'll mind!" Xion said a bit too quickly and unnaturally. Roxas raised an eyebrow at her.

"Why not you call to ask? He'll be there already, right?" the blonde asked again, as he started to clear the table. Xion watched him slip her Macbook into the correct compartment, then systematically moving on to her other things. She noticed how he slipped them very nicely, in all the correct places.

"No, he'll REALLY be alright with the arrangement." Xion thought a little bit, then hastily added, "and besides, I'm the one writing the review, right?"

Roxas looked at the mug in his hand in contemplation, then shrugged and nodded. "I guess so. You are the famed _Love Critic_ after all. Fierce, independent and all that characteristics of a proud, brave female who doesn't really like guys." Xion shot him a horrified glance and Roxas quickly said, "UM, not in the lesbian way, of course! But really, the sort of woman who doesn't want to settle down and have kids; you're that sort of person as the Love Critic, right? Never really satisfied with any guy."

Xion glanced at him. "But, Roxas," she started, and then Roxas saw her blush a little, "I _want _to settle down and have children."

Roxas didn't really know what to say, so he just gulped and said, ever so stupidly, "I want to settle down, too."

There was a half-awkward, half-intimate silence between them, before Xion shook her head, as though to get rid of any thoughts, and then she shot him a smile. "Whenever you're ready, Roxas, we'll leave."

"…should I change? Go call that guy!"

"Roxas, I really think you should decide on your own; it'll be my rules, right?" She lifted her arm, hesitated, before she quickly decided to rest her hand on his shoulder.

The blonde turned to face her, and then he sighed. "A red shirt, or a yellow shirt?"

* * *

Roxas and Xion soon arrived at the Oathkeepers' Restaurant. "The same place again?" Roxas couldn't help but voice out, as Xion smiled at him, taking his hand as they got out of the car.

"You _do _like the food here, right?" Xion asked uncertainly, and it was the first time Roxas ever saw, or heard, Xion looking nervous. He had always thought of Xion as having no words like 'nervous' in her dictionary of life.

"Y-Yeah, I do…" and her uncertainty made him doubly uncertain. "I-I just got scared of the female chef here…"

"Oh, you mean Aqua? She's a nice…" and Xion pondered for the word, before giving up, "_nice _fellow."

"…yeah…shall we go in?" Roxas asked. He looked rather out of place with his blue shirt (Xion decided to go for blue because Roxas couldn't decide between a scary red and a garish yellow) and his seasoned jeans. He looked more like a teenager who stayed up for 2 weeks straight studying with nothing but coffee to run his body. Xion, however, always emanated the aura of greatness, even if she was in a simple skirt and blouse.

"Yep. Let's go."

* * *

"Ah, Ms Leonhart!" Ventus greeted the guests, as he waved his knife at them. Roxas was certain that he'd scream and duck and grab Xion and run should Terra lose his grip of the knife and magically send it flying towards Roxas' forehead, but thankfully, Xion sensed his nervousness and gripped Roxas' arm very tightly.

"Hello, Terra," Xion greeted chirpily. "Got my table?"

Ventus skipped over. "Hiya, random twin!" he greeted Roxas, trying to pull Roxas' nervous face exaggeratedly. Xion giggled and Ventus whipped around to her. "Table for two, right?"

"Isn't it supposed to be two tables for three?" Roxas asked incredulously, as he took a sharp glance at Xion, who seemed nonplussed until he raised that fact. She gulped, as Ventus did a low, annoying whistle.

"Nope. It's a table for two, alright!" Ventus checked his list, smiling. "Come on, twin, you can't seriously get out of a date just like that!"

"B-But- wait, what?" Now Roxas was torn between his feelings of horror, confusion, and nervousness. Did Xion forget about him completely when booking the table? Was she meaning to end their friendship through a failed table reservation? Was his hair looking good enough for her?

"Roxas, I _really _don't know how to break it to you…" Xion started, as she scratched the back of her neck sheepishly. "I'm usually not in the position to say this…"

"Are you two breaking up?" Ventus, socially oblivious to the situation, beamed at them as though they had just announced that they were expecting triplets. His voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper, "_Are you two even dating to begin with?"_

"-since it's not even very ladylike of me to do this to begin with-"

"ROXAS, wow, never knew you were such a _bastard_-"

"-and really, I've never done this before to anyone, really, not even with my parents-"

"-does my hair look right? Roxas? Roxas?"

The two individuals paused to examine Roxas, who suddenly emitted a small, incomprehensible cry that didn't sound like any word or noise ever recorded in the history of mankind.

"…Roxas, what was that?" Xion asked concernedly.

"…so why am I here again…?" Roxas asked in a high-pitched, almost incomprehensible voice.

"…Roxas, goodness. Look at you. Calm down, Rox, there's really no problem!" Xion, half-exasperated and half-amused, pinched his shoulder lightly but it looked as though Roxas took her light pinch as a brutal stab, as he clutched his arm and slumped against the door.

"You _pinched _me!" Roxas whined, not very sure how he should react in such an awkward situation and therefore reacting in the most natural way possible – panicking and acting stupid.

"Roxas, I take back what I said; you aren't a man anymore to me." Ventus said seriously.

Xion sighed and grabbed the poor boy. "Listen, Roxas. I wanted to bring _you _out on a date, okay? I didn't know how to ask you, so I just booked a table and acted as though it was an actual Love Critic date but it _isn't_, okay?" She watched Roxas trying to comprehend her words, and when she saw a small nod, she sighed again. The female proceeded to take his arm formally to drag him through the restaurant to their table, where they should've been 15 minutes ago for their date.

* * *

**Hi. Read and review. The next update...as early as this year but as late as next year. Yes. That is all. REVIEW :D**

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**And also, I have an actual blog. **

**...moving on, review please :D**


	15. Misery

"You all are poop brains, really!" Axel snarled, as Demyx and Zexion exited the store, bidding the redhead farewell.

He sighed, and ran his hand through his hair, frustrated. Roxas was out, and no one else wanted to help close the store. Shaking his head, he moved behind the counter to polish the mugs, something that he took great pride in doing every day. Reaching into his pocket, he gently placed Alice, his trusty lighter, on the counter. "You don't need to get dirty with me," he said, grinning to himself.

Axel reached to the back and hit 'PLAY' on the radio. He smiled to himself. Music, Alice, and nothing else. Not counting the mugs to be polished. Aside from that, everything was good.

Just then, someone pushed open the door, and the bells on top swung back and forth, tinkling. "Sorry, we're closed," Axel didn't look up as he picked up a mug, "and our chef's out."

"Out where?" it was a female speaking to him, but Axel still didn't look up, despite noticing how eerily familiar it sounded.

"Hey, give the man some privacy. He's out on a date, but I won't let you find him out for some late-night coffee, ma'am." He was on his third mug now, and he hoped that the woman would leave.

"_Out WHERE_?" again the woman demanded, and this time, she was dead serious. Axel finally looked up, only to be whipped aside by a small handbag. "Reveal the location, you red-headed _goof_!"

The redhead set down his mug and his rag. "Look, woman, you- hey, that's Edward the taser!"

He pointed to the taser in the blonde's hand. "I remember you! You're the woman who nearly killed me with the vampire taser! You're-"

"_Where is he_?" the blonde screamed.

"He?" Axel sighed. "Look, if you want some coffee, come back tomo-"

He halted in speech when he noticed the absence of his lighter. "…where's Alice?"

"_Alice_?" the woman mimicked. "If you want your lighter back, you _submit_ yourself to _interrogation_ and answer all my questions _truthfully_. _Do I make myself clear_?"

Axel suddenly stood upright, flabbergasted. "Y-You can't just barge in, steal my lighter and demand to know where Roxas is!" Axel retorted back.

"But I just did, _didn't I_?" she spat back.

"I- you know what? Just hand over Alice!"

"_Where is he_?"

"You crazy stalker, I don't know! I know Xion took him on a date, but I don't know where she brought him to!" Axel threw his hands up in the air, glowering at her. "Can I have Alice _now?"_

"Don't lie to me, you stupid redhead. You _know _where they are. I need to track down that blonde for-"

"For coffee?"

"NO. Stop interrupting me, you buffoon-"

"It's Axel." Axel tapped his temple with a weak smile. "Got it memorized?"

The last thing he remembered was the vampire taser being thrown at him, and Larxene grabbing him off the counter.

* * *

"How…how much is this, again?" Roxas asked.

Xion sighed. "Roxas, take it as a treat from me, please," she said, patting his hand. "It's not pity or anything, just…a date."

"A…_oh_." Roxas laughed nervously. "Sorry. But, er, shouldn't I pay for _something_?"

Xion gave him a long look. "...if I say I'll deduct it from your pay of being my bodyguard, will you eat something that you like?"

Roxas smiled. "That's better. I _am _hungry." He leafed through the menu, his smile slowly growing broader by the next flip of the page.

Ventus skipped over to them as they perused through the menu. "What can I get the young ma'am…and suspicious man?" he asked politely.

They pointed at the different menu items and Ventus was off with a flourish. As the duo watched his disappearing figure, Roxas smiled. "I don't know, but for some reason, he reminds me of Axel."

* * *

"_I ammm a miiiisery_/_There ain't no-body who can comfort me, oh yeah…"_ Axel sang along forlornly to the radio, as he watched Larxene rip open every cabinet and every drawer at the counter, looking for an elusive something. Alice, however, was safe; Axel was glad, and she was safely tucked into his chest pocket.

The only gripe that he had was that he was pinned upside down to the wall with knives.

"_Whyyy won't you answer me/ The silence is almost kil-ling me, oh yeah,_" Axel tried to get her attention by singing loudly, but Larxene was fast and not one to be disturbed as she continued her zealous search for…something. He didn't even know. "_Giiiirl you really got me bad, really got me baaad/ But I'mmm gonna get you back, gonna get you back, ye-"_

"Will you _stop _with the singing?" Larxene snapped, her eyes suddenly trained on the redhead.

"_Misery _by Maroon 5. _Totally _describes what I'm going through now," Axel remarked, agonized as he glanced at the knives that had been stabbed through his shirt and driven into the wall. "You should've in the very least used an _older _shirt…I got this shirt on sale and it ain't cheap!"

"Tsk. You and your silly nonsense, _permeating_ the air I breathe," Larxene spat, disgusted. She rifled through the final drawer, and slammed it forcefully with an air of finality. "Nothing here. Stupid woman and her sneakiness."

"Sneakiness?" Axel raised an eyebrow. "She was only desperate for a date. Come on, love, don't blame Xion."

"You disgust me," was the response to that, as Larxene stood up. "Do you have a computer out here?"

Axel closed his eyes. His brain was growing quite disoriented – after all, he had been upside down on a wall for almost half an hour. "It's…erm…" Axel murmured to himself, "…nah, no computer. Quite sure there isn't…"

"Fine," Larxene dismissed, as she moved away from the counter. "Well, see you soon, red hair."

"W-wha…wait, so you don't know where they are?" Axel asked, confused.

"I…have a rough idea." Larxene pursed her lips. "I'm moving to Xion's favourite restaurant. She should be there, if _blondie_ means that much to her."

"…okay. I understand." Axel was now spouting nonsense. His eyes grew weary. "Uh…take care of yourself, eh, Larx? Woman like you…you should be out with a nice job instead of stalking Rox and Xion."

"…what?"

"Well," Axel began, "why is someone like you stalking a couple? Shouldn't you be out with your girlfriends or something? Or even a boyfriend? Or a girlfriend-girl. Like, if you're a lesbian or something."

Larxene glared at him. "I'm not _stalking _them."

"Weeeeell, in Axel's law book, you committed murder of my clothes, pinned me upside down on a wall and ransacked the café _just _to find out where they're dining. If it's not stalking, then it's either rape or murder." Axel smiled at her. "Any violent objections?"

Needless to say, she _did _have a violent objection, and Axel found himself blacking out once again from the sheer force of her kick.

* * *

"No. Really?"

"Yes. Axel took my nice warm strawberry muffin and threw it at a female teacher's butt. Then when there was a red stain, he accused her of menstruating." Roxas grinned. "Bet you can't say anything to that."

Xion smirked. "Roxas, you didn't even do the deed."

"But…I made the muffin."

"The muffin wasn't initially made for the purpose, was it not?" Xion pointed out, grinning. "So admit it, you've been a goody-two shoes _all your life_."

"…yeah, okay, maybe I _am_…" Roxas sheepishly laughed. "I've been whipping Axel away from serious trouble all my life, I haven't had the time to try it out myself!"

Xion considered this. "That's true. You haven't failed entirely at that, too. Good for you, Roxy!"

The casual banter was interrupted by Ventus, who shot Roxas a suggestive smirk as he served them their main meal. "Thanks, Ven," Xion thanked with a smile.

"No problem, missus…and unrelated twin stranger."

"…thank you too, Ven," Roxas offered weakly as Ven burst into a wide, easygoing grin.

"Well, dinner will soon be served! Aqua will get right to it!" Ventus did an exaggerated curtsy before moving off, a spring in his step.

Xion clasped her hands with a smile. "Well, shall we dig in?"

* * *

Larxene strolled down the street, breezing past boutique stores and souvenir shops, into the heart of the city where _The Oathkeepers' _occupied the most prime location for a restaurant.

The phone rang, and Larxene paused in her stride. "Yes?"

A calm voice spoke. "Are you done? The article's due tomorrow; you know that, right?"

Larxene scoffed. "Of course I know. Geez, you've been bugging me all _week_ about this!"

"I just want it over and done with as soon as I can, Larxene."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just…okay, I'm reaching." Larxene finally stopped at her destination – the famed _Oathkeepers'_, its large, neon sign hanging precariously above her head; a loud and bright welcome to anyone. She jabbed the phone off and slipped it in her purse.

The blonde strode into the swanky restaurant, raising her eyebrows in awe, rather than disgust, at the place. A young boy who looked remarkably familiar moved towards her with a smile. "Table for two, I presume?"

Larxene snorted. "Table for _one_, more like."

The boy flinched. "Ouch. What's a lovely lady like yourself doing all alone?"

"Never mind that," was her curt reply, and Ven chanted in his head not to trifle in her affairs as she continued, "Just get me a table at the corner."

She gestured to a vague area facing the kitchen, at the side of the restaurant. Ven quietly obliged and walked her over. Not bothering with any casual chatter or service, he handed over the menu and left the table quickly, shaking his head with a frown.

"And good riddance to you too, fool," Larxene muttered under her breath, as she opened up the menu, not actually sparing a glance at the galore of food they had to offer. She instead focused on her target.

* * *

"…and that was the story of how Axel destroyed prom night with cake and Alice." Roxas smiled. "The end."

"Wow…has your date contacted you since?"

"After Axel shoved cake in her bra? No." Roxas grinned. "Now that I've answered your highly personal question…"

"Come on, Rox, it wasn't _that _personal! Everyone has this silly prom story, right?" Xion took another bite of Roxas' main course. "This chicken you ordered is _amazing_, by the way."

"I can cook this for you next time, if you like," Roxas suggested, with sheepish smile.

"That'd be great!" Xion beamed. "My house. Tonight!"

"W-W- _Tonight_?" Roxas widened his eyes. "B-But we just ate dinner!"

"For food, a woman's stomach stretches in the most unimaginable ways, Roxas," Xion responded, with an airy, contemplative aura about her. "Now, since I asked you such a _touchy _question, you could ask me something, if you like."

"Really?" Roxas looked at her suspiciously. "Just a while ago, you answered my prom question with a question, and I ended up talking about _my _prom."

Xion grinned. "You should've fought for a better response, rather than be all submissive."

"I-I'm not _submissive_!" Roxas retorted, as he wolfed down a big bite, in some form of attempt to prove her wrong, or to wipe the smug smirk off her face. "I just happen to be…a very nice gentleman!"

"That, I agree. I just mentally rated you on my Love Critic scales and you fared very well on the gentlemanly scale." Xion reached over and took another forkful of Roxas' main dish.

"And…?"

"Professionally, you have once again surpassed my expectations of your gender. But on a personal basis, you're submissive. I mean, this is _really _good chicken!" Xion realized that she had been smiling all evening with Roxas, and with that thought, her smile spread wider. "You should just…_man up_! And eat your chicken!"

As Xion reached over once again with her fork, Roxas deftly knocked away her fork with his soup spoon. In his triumph over Xion, he stabbed at the chicken with the soup spoon in his hand.

Xion raised an eyebrow at the soup spoon. "I can improvise."

"…Roxas, that's a soup spoon." Finally laughing, she raised her hands in mock defeat. "Roxas the almighty soup spoon bearer!"

"And non-submissive; you forgot that part!" Roxas added, laughing along as well at himself. "Anyway, am I allowed to ask you a personal question?"

"What happened to non-submissive?" Xion laughed again. "Shoot."

"How did you start out…you know, doing all this _Love Critic _reviews?" Roxas took a bite at his chicken, suppressing the sigh of relief when Xion leaned back with a smile. He didn't know much about Xion's past, aside from Riku, and he wouldn't know if he could forgive himself if he ruined the night just because he was curious.

"I started out in school, actually." Xion smiled, twirling a lock of her hair. "I was upset about how some of my closest female friends got their hearts broken. First dates can say a lot about the guy, but we were young. I saw all the signs that he wasn't good company, but my friends persisted. I've seen some bad heartbreaks."

Roxas suddenly had a flash of Naminé, keeping to herself in school, and having her big brother and his best friend as her confidantes. If Naminé was ever hurt by a guy…

Xion continued, after a short pause. "I had a major interest in psychology. The study of an individual, that is. I could interpret a lot from the guy's actions. And I didn't want anyone else to get hurt. My next step was to gather a group of girls who trusted me as much as I trusted them. It felt like some feminist movement then, and we were all really excited. So whenever they went on dates, they'd take note of details of the date, and then hand it over to me. I'd compare them with my own notes of my impressions of the guy. Then, I personally wrote a review, and then circulated them to the girls in our school. They didn't heed my advice at first."

Roxas cut in, and he didn't expect what came out of his mouth. "Because you were the prettiest in the school?"

Xion didn't seem to notice as Roxas' hand flew to his mouth. "Yeah. And they thought I was after their man, in a sense."

"So I guess…they believed you eventually, huh?" Roxas cut his final piece of chicken in half and shifted the bigger piece over to Xion's empty plate.

"They did, eventually. It took a while, but they soon believed me. And since we were in a pretty small neighbourhood, the girls circulated it to other girls in the area. And before I knew it, everyone knew who I was, what I was doing, and they were thanking me out on a street, or helping me out. All the bad boys had to change their modus operandi, if you could put it that way."

"And all the good boys were taken?" Roxas probed.

"Eventually. I dated a lot of bad boys and a handful of genuinely sweet guys. I actually remained close friends with some of them. I wasn't as strict as currently, so there were quite a few eligible and very…_real _guys around. Some girls saw past their physical flaws and got together, and some girls didn't. But it worked out very well, and girls around the area were happy; not just for those who got together with good guys, but for those who saw through the bad guys' ways and broke up with them." Xion smiled wistfully, as she delicately sliced through the final piece of chicken.

"Then…how did you get from neighbourhood love psychologist to the famous, world-renown _Love Critic_?" Roxas asked. He smiled. "From small-town hero to ultimate love critic."

Xion laughed. "Well, word soon spread, and some of my reviews hit the local media. Someone thought it'd be great if I went on spy dates, and that was my summer vacation job. My job was to write and the editor's job was to arrange dates with a single, pretty teen. I was writing reviews everyday, and I liked the job a lot. Then…I wrote a single good review from a date that the editor set me up with."

She set her fork down and Roxas realized that somehow, she had managed to say all that while finishing the chicken. _Women_. He shook his head; they were a species he would probably never fully understand.

Xion picked up the menu and browsed through, continuing, "And then rich men thought that maybe they could get women to like them if they paid me to write a good review. I said no, of course, because it's just unethical to do that, on a professional and a personal basis. But I did tell them that they could pay to go on a date with me, and that was exactly what they did. Soon, the small newspaper was making money, because they tried manipulating the media and donating large sums so they could increase their chances of having a good review. That was one of the main reasons why I shaped up and became much more firm about reviewing."

"Was there corruption?" Roxas asked. "And…are you ordering desserts?"

Xion looked up from the menu. "Right. Sorry about that. I forgot. Here." She handed him a spare menu and they both took a moment to browse through. "I'm going with mango pudding. Let's see how Aqua matches up to the delectable Roxas mango pudding!"

"Just don't tell Aqua if mine was better," Roxas mumbled, and Xion chuckled.

"Oh, and for your question…yeah, there was. The editor wasn't pleased because they wanted me to write a good review, but all I could write was a highly toned down version of the date, which was truly bad, in my opinion. And at the same time, _Kingdom Times _heard of my reviews and offered me a job as residential _Love Critic_. It was a huge deal, since I was in college and I was studying psychology and communication studies, and I was still staying true to my main goal of making sure the college girls know who they were getting involved with. But they were willing to let me finish my studies, and I did."

"And you've been working with _Kingdom Times _ever since?"

"Yeah. My article gets published in quite a few publications, both online and offline, and all the royalties go right to _Kingdom Times. _And because _the Love Critic _is so well established now, I don't need to actively source for a date. Men pay a small sum for a date with me. And before they actually meet me, Sora - you've met my assistant manager man – he'll lay out the rules and make sure they don't get in the way of ethics. In fact, Sora was one of the few nice guys I met, and I wrote a good review about him. We've been friends and colleagues for a long time now."

Roxas leaned back. "Wow…that's actually really cool."

"So cool that you couldn't concentrate on choosing your desserts?" Xion teased.

Roxas realized he was still holding the menu, and it was still on the main courses page. Laughing sheepishly, he hastily flipped over to the dessert page, flushing with embarrassment. "I…I'll get the crème brulee."

"Done." Xion called Ventus over. "A crème brulee and a mango pudding, please."

"Sure thing, missus." Ventus scribbled the orders down, with a smile.

Roxas took the menus and handed them to Ven. "How's the crowd going today?"

"Pretty good. The usual, I guess." Ven shrugged. "There was a customer who got my goat for being stupidly unpleasant, but I snuck in vinegar in her food."

"…you…_what?" _Roxas exclaimed, flabbergasted. "That poor woman's going to die!"

Xion chortled and shook her head. "Roxas, I don't think she could die of a vinegar overdose in the mouth…"

"She hasn't. Heck, I think she's too much of a sour grape to notice the huge vinegar taste. She seems perfectly fine from the looks of it. BUT don't…turn…around…!" Ven scrambled to his feet, standing rigidly by the table and trying too hard to not look suspicious. "She's like modern-day Medusa. Don't want your little dinner date to die of mean-ness. Welp, dessert will come soon enough!"

Ven strode off and left them smiling at each other for a moment. "So, Roxas, how's that for a response to your question?"

"Definitely more than sufficient, I guess. You must really like your job, huh?"

"Of course I do. I'm just making sure that women know what they're getting into. They don't need to listen, or anything. But at least just…watch out. I like doing that. It's helping people out with the media."

Roxas nodded understandingly. "That's nice to hear, considering all the tabloids saying crazy things and going to great lengths to dig out scoops." He scratched his head. "I've seen so many horror stories from the tabloids and they're just…bad."

"I know. The job of a journalist can stoop so low sometimes." Xion shook her head, sighing. "I think Riku owns a few of those."

"R-Riku?"

"Yeah. He bought over the most-read tabloid a few years back." Xion leaned back, lips pursed. "I think it was to shut them up, when we got together. It was kinda useful too, with our break-up."

"…oh." Roxas looked down glumly. He suddenly felt a little small compared to Riku. "That…that's a lot of money involved, huh?"

"…Roxas," Xion started, reaching over to touch his hand, a tender look in her eyes and voice that made him look up, "for Riku, it was strictly a business thing. He saw the potential it had and snapped it up easy. I like to think that he was caring enough to buy a tabloid for me, in a way, but the more I think about it, the more I think that it was more of a very smart business move, really."

"…were you…really hurt by the whole thing?" Roxas asked hesitantly, his eyes boring into hers.

Xion gave a small sigh. "_Devastated_. I reviewed men for so long…it was heartbreaking, if I were a normal person, but as _the Love Critic_…"

"You…thought you would've known better?" Roxas offered.

"…yeah. It was…depressing. I slammed all the men that month. All of them had horrifying reviews. I let my personal affairs seep into my work, and I hated myself for that. I...I thought I could never, ever get into a relationship again, considering how I reacted."

Xion looked up at Roxas. His eyes had turn softer than usual at her story. His eyes not leaving hers, he took her hand and patted it. "You'll find someone soon. That's for sure!" he told her, reassuringly. He gave her a smile.

_But what if I already found that someone?_

As Xion considered that thought, Ven swooped by. "I present to you…_dessert_!" he announced, setting them on the table. "_Bon appetit_!"

* * *

"No, radio, please don't. Oh sweet DJ, why do you curse me so?" Axel wailed, as the DJ announced that a Justin Bieber song was up next. "Please tell me it ain't _Baby_; I have to spend the _night _upside down here!"

"Axel?" The door chime tinkled and Axel struggled to see who it was. Long, blonde hair, a simple frock…

"Roxy? Is that you, man?" Axel whined. "Please switch off the radio; they just announced that they're playing Bieber."

'Roxy' didn't seem to care. "Axel, just _why _are you upside down?"

"Some woman barged in to see Xion, and I think I made her _really_ upset. Do women do that to men when they're on their period? Was she on her period? I don't know, but a Bieber song will play any second now and I need that radio torched."

"Axel…this is Naminé." Naminé shook her head as she flicked on the lights and switched off the radio. "…woah. Can I take a photo of you?"

"If you take off my shirt and take me with my _manly _abs, then yes."

"…I'll…stick with photo-taking without the imaginary abs." Naminé took a quick shot and discreetly uploaded it onto Facebook. Slipping her phone back into her pocket, she slowly began to yank out the knives. "So a woman really did this to you?"

"Yeah. She was looking for Xion and Roxa-" Axel paused as he absorbed the information. "Dude. That woman."

"Axel, it's 12. What woman?"

"T-That woman! The one who barged in! Why would she be looking for Xion? A-And how does she know Roxas is with her?"

"…Axel, I-"

Axel slapped his hand over her mouth. "Shhh! I'm thinking. What if…she's Roxas' stalker. A-And…maybe she's jealous of Xion!"

Naminé stopped and contemplated this for a moment. She took Axel's arm. "Axel, I think Roxas can handle himself. He's a grown man, after all. We must trust him!"

"…I guess so…" the redhead mumbled, as he stretched, yawning. "But that woman could be some…random stalker."

At this, Naminé laughed. "Oh Axel, you know my brother is such a _weirdo_. Who would want to stalk _him_?" She stopped and looked at Axel. "Except you and I, of course," she added, smiling genially.

"I know it seems stupid that Roxas is being stalked, but _think_!" Axel tapped his temple. "This woman barges in and pins a grown man-"

"Child-"

"-to a wall, upside down, just to find out where Roxas is. I mean, it's _gotta _mean something, right?" Axel sighed and paced around the room listlessly, as Naminé, shaking her head, plopped down in the nearest seat.

"I guess we could just…drive around to look for him. Or call him," she finally suggested, pulling out her phone. "Just in case. And besides, we can go spy on him a little."

Axel considered this. "I guess we can do that. Maybe pick them up and drive 'em both home. Her home or his home; doubt it'd make a difference." The redhead beamed and leapt to his feet. "Shall we?"

* * *

When Larxene was done with her food and her little assignment, she got out of her seat and walked over to the counter, with a triumphant smile on her face.

Ven, upon seeing her approaching figure, stifled a groan as he forced a smile. "Cash or credit?" he asked, just as Larxene flicked her credit card at him.

"I'll be back for _actual _food next time," she remarked snidely, looking at the place appraisingly, "if there is any."

She saw a perceptible twitch in his stiff smile. "I'm _so_, _so _glad to hear that," he responded, as he stuck out his hand, returning the credit card. "Now, if you excuse me, I have to attend to some guests."

Larxene rolled her eyes. "Fine. But soon, you won't be paying much attention to _them _any more," she hissed under her breath, as she strode off into the night.

Ven scoffed as the blonde-haired woman finally left. Roxas and Xion were ready to leave, from the looks of it, and Ven was suddenly very thankful for their timely finish. "I'll clear the plates!" he announced, as he grabbed a tray from behind the counter.

Aqua, the head chef, burst out of the kitchen. "So, how was your meal?" she demanded. "I hope it was up to _expectations_."

At this, she glared at Roxas, who instinctively quivered under her gaze. "I-It was _great_!" he reassured, with a slight smile.

"It was a beautiful dinner, Aqua; thank you so much!" Xion touched her arm, with a smile. "You never fail to make me hungry with your food!"

"Thanks! I try." Aqua grinned, as she supervised Ven clearing the plates. "You both come back soon, alright? I'll always be there to cook up a feast!"

"Yep, will do! Right, Roxas?" Xion turned to her date, who gave a nervous laugh.

"Yeah…sure. Just…deduct it from my paycheck, I guess!" Roxas replied, running his fingers through his hair awkwardly.

"My treat, this time," she assured, as she linked her arm with Roxas'.

"…you…sure you don't want me to foot the bill?" the blonde asked, checking his wallet. "I think I can pay now…"

Xion pinched his arm playfully. "Nonsense. I brought you out on a date and I _demand _to pay for it _entirely_."

Ven whistled from behind. "You asked _him_? I never thought I'd hear the day the famous love critic asks a guy out!"

"_VENTUS._" Aqua's voice was raised much more than was comfortable.

"Okay, okay, chill!" Ven exclaimed, laughing.

Xion quickly paid for the dinner and they left, arms still linked. Roxas didn't mind; the only thing that worried him was the sweat that could disgust her.

"I'll drive you home first," Roxas hastily offered, as he almost tripped over his feet in an attempt to open the car door for her.

"That'd be nice. Though, are you still cooking something for me later?" she asked, chuckling a little.

"Well…if you want to. I still have a few ingredients here and there at home; do you want me to go-"

_HONK HONK_

"What in the-" Roxas looked out of the window to see Axel and Naminé, waving frantically at him with huge smiles from the car.

"I see you have to cook for four," Xion commented, rubbing her hands together. "This calls for a late night supper!"

"I think I have enough mango supplies at home for some pudding. Want some?" the blonde asked, without making any move to get out of her car to greet Naminé and Axel.

"I'd love that. Shall we…go out of the car?" Xion suggested, helpfully.

Roxas bit his lip, and eventually shook his head. "Nah. Can't leave your car here. I'll drive you to _my _place first. Hold on, I'll tell Ax and Nami."

He wound down the window, just as Axel got out of the car to greet the two. "Yo, Xion! And…you." Axel grinned, pinching Roxas' cheek. "How was dinner?"

"It was great," Roxas said carefully, a broad smile and a shy blush emerging. "And Xion's coming over to our place."

"For a sleepover?" Axel ribbed, with a sly smile.

"A-A sleepover?" Roxas repeated, and instantly, his face flared up at the thought of a certain night when they had fallen asleep in each other's arms. "U-Uh-"

"Actually," Xion cut in, beaming, "I'd like that! I have a spare set of casual clothes I can sleep in, somewhere in my car. We can have supper and…a movie marathon, if you guys have a DVD player."

"Really?" Axel seemed surprised, and Roxas blushed even more. Grinning at Roxas, the redhead instantly agreed, "That'd be _fantastic_! Meet you guys back at the place!"

He rushed off and threw himself back into the car, driving off swiftly. Roxas gave a nervous laugh, and Xion leaned back in her seat, thoroughly pleased with herself. The thought of having a sleepover excited her, and she was quite sure it wasn't just because of the food and movies.

She glanced over to Roxas, whose face was still heated up. "Roxas…a-are you _blushing_?" she exclaimed, incredulous.

"I-I-NO! No. Not at all!" the blonde immediately shot her a huge smile, that came out much more naturally than he thought. His voice quivered a little as he continued, "I didn't expect you to be so prepared for these."

"Well, a female has to be prepared for anything!" Xion proclaimed proudly, with a smile.

"Even for desserts?"

"A spare stomach. I like to think that every woman has them for desserts." Xion sat upright in her seat. "Hold on, I think the DVDs are somewhere beneath the seats…"

As she yanked out a drawer from beneath her car seat and began her search, Roxas swallowed. He had to suppress a broad smile the whole time while driving, and he was quite sure the answer to his sudden urge to smile was sitting right next to him, searching for movies to watch.

* * *

…**well…I wanted to publish this as soon as I can! I'm sorry I cut it off so weirdly, and I'm also sorry if my writing seemed a bit off in this chapter. I thought that the movie marathon and food had so much fluffy potential that I had to cut it off so I can dedicate a whole chapter to Naminé and Axel and Roxas and Xion cuddling together and eating and watching Disney movies. Hope you guys don't mind.**

**And I'm sorry for the long update drought. I've been caught up with school. I think most people who know me personally would've heard of this, but my group decided to make a film adaptation of The Love Critic. It's not written by me though. ****If you want my script and the script that was used, or if you want to watch the film, don't hesitate to leave a review asking for it. I'll try to find ways to send 'em over. I haven't watched the film yet though. I also wrote something called 'The Love Critic meets First Impressions' because I thought it'd be funny to write Axel ****crying over how he was renamed Chester. It'll be up on my personal blog...eventually.  
**

**The next chapter won't come out very fast, because I'm leaving Singapore and technology for a school youth expedition project to the Philippines. I'll be helping out the community and crying over the lack of Wifi in Libon, Albay, but I'm hoping the isolation from our connected civilization would spark the creativity in me that I am currently deprived of. I'm bringing a laptop and my trusty phone over so maybe I can write the next chapter while I'm there, dying of pain and lack of good food. **

**Read and review!**


	16. Second Thoughts

Xion was in love.

That's it, she told herself, those are the exact words that describe me.

Admittedly, she was never honest with herself about Roxas. Right from the get-go, Roxas was sweet, charming, adorable, kind of hot if she looked at him in a certain way, and somehow, he seemed like the most perfect man in the world. He protected her from ugly dates, he cooked wonderfully, he did a lot of things for her. The more she thought of their limited time together, the more convinced she was.

She was never sure what to make of him, except she knew that when she was with him, Xion was herself. She could run into a beanbag and not feel an inch of horror at Roxas' grin. She could talk about her bad times and he'd somehow find the right things to say, do the right things.

Xion had no idea why her brain was in overload thinking about all these; perhaps it was the night, perhaps it was the urge to taste mango on his lips, perhaps it was the urge to sleep next to him, and to watch him wake up and to see him smile. There were so many things to think about and Xion, _the love critic_, who could write hard-hitting articles on current affairs and light-hearted columns about dates in one day, could not find the words to describe what she felt for a certain man in her life.

But now she did find the words and the words were _I am in love with him_.

And then she visibly slackened, relieved by finally finding the words to express her feelings as she watched Roxas Strife scold Axel for spoiling _Tangled _for her.

"You _ruined_ it for her!" the blonde argued.

"_WHY MAKE GOOD THINGS COME LAST?"_ was Axel's response. "She totally knew they were gonna get married; I mean, it's a Disney movie! What are they gonna do, kill Eugene and send Rapunzel to a psychiatrist?"

"Of course not, but-"

"Oh, wait, they _did _kill a couple. They killed off the old man's wife in _Up_. You know, I've been treating wrinkled prunes nicer now-"

"You just ruined _Up_ for her too!" Roxas moaned, frowning at the thought that two brilliant movies were ruined in a single moment. "And you can't call old people wrinkled prunes!"

She didn't know why, of all times, her epiphany had to come at a moment like that. Granted, she was hoping for a more romantic moment to realise that she loved someone. Maybe over a romantic dinner up on the highest building in a random country with scented candles, or on an elephant in Thailand (epiphanies in exotic places sounded exciting), or maybe after an intense stare, where they would both hear a distinct 'click' in their heads, as though looking at each other somehow made the whole world fall into place, with everyone achieving world peace and plain perfection on the earth because two of them fell in love and it was the most beautiful thing around.

Xion didn't expect Cupid to strike when she was seated on a beanbag, watching two grown men fight over _Tangled_ in an apartment smaller than her living room. But for some reason, she couldn't imagine a more perfect moment.

"We are watching _Toy Story 3 _and _no one _will be spoiling anyone," Roxas finally declared, and then his tone changed a little as he glanced at Xion and asked, "or do you have a movie you want to watch?"

Xion snapped out of her epiphany for a bit. "U-Uh, any movie will do, actually…"

Her soft voice made Roxas look up from his search for the DVD. "You sound weird; are you sick?"

She furrowed her eyebrows. "Sick? No, I feel just fine, Roxas. In fact," and as the memory of Roxas blushing at his first kiss surged through her mind, she jumped out of her beanbag, which clearly gave the blonde a shock, "I'm feeling great! We should go for a walk. Just the two of us!"

"W-Wha-" Roxas wasn't sure how to respond to that, but Axel stood up languidly and shoved him towards Xion, which shut him up.

"I don't know why you're acting like this, Xion, but you are absolutely right. Look at poor Roxas and his frayed nerves!" The redhead grabbed Roxas' chin, and studied his confused face, as though he could see Roxas' nerves beneath his skin, working overtime to process what was happening. "He should get some fresh air to get over how I spoiled the movies. Go right ahead, you two; run along now!"

Nothing was making sense. Xion would never have done that an hour ago. Axel didn't even ask why he wasn't invited, but she just thanked the redhead silently – as much of an idiot that he could be, he wasn't stupid.

She just felt so energised and so incredibly happy, like everything fell in place for her, like life had meaning again and she finally knew what she had to do. She beamed at Axel and then walked off with a spring in her step. "Come on, Roxas," she called out to the dumbstruck blonde still slightly hunched over at the DVD box, "the night is still young."

"Y-Yeah…but…" Roxas drew up to his full height, like he could finally see out of the haze of confusion, "why the sudden urge to walk?"

If anything, Roxas blinded himself in the haze of confusion.

"Because…" Xion stopped trying to put on her shoes and genuinely thought about it for a moment.

"Oh, for Alice's _sake_, Roxas, will you please walk the woman?"

"I didn't say no!" Roxas retorted, as he slowly went up to Xion. Entirely unaware of Xion's pounding heart, he plopped himself right next to her and started wearing his shoes, his wary eyes watching her. "It's just that it seems so…_spontaneous_."

"I like that in a woman," Axel mused. "Once, Alice burnt my finger. Man, I love a woman who bites."

The two of them ignored Axel. "I…just _felt_ like having a walk?" Xion offered, almost helplessly.

Roxas just gave her a smile. "It's okay, you don't need to explain yourself," he told her, as he opened the door, eyeing Axel for a bit. "Axel, you sure you're gonna be okay by yourse-"

"Yes, yes, go right on ahead, man," the redhead yelled back, already starting his own movie on the TV. "I'll be fine _crying over Eugene's death_!"

"…that's…reassuring." Roxas sighed, and then he opened the door. "You ready for your walk?"

* * *

They walked past bustling streets with flea markets hawking their fares, laughing together and commenting on the clothes and food sold. Xion even managed to buy Roxas a new pair of leather shoes, which she found completely romantic of her (she didn't say that out, of course).

"Hey," and he touched her elbow, like he wanted to tell her something intimate, "do you want a walk in a park instead? More fresh air there."

She turned to look at him, in the midst of the crowd, his sapphire eyes glinting in the street light, blurring faces all around him, like a perfect photograph was forming before her – a beautiful subject with the most intense eyes, and nothing else in the background that could possibly draw away attention from him – and for a moment Xion heard nothing but the sound of her heart beating firmly against her chest.

He didn't say much after that, as he took her by the wrist and slowly led her away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Roxas wasn't sure why, but he had a vague feeling that she had something to tell him, and it was something more than just "I wanted a walk so I could spend some time with you", because from the way she laughed and the way she had a slight lilt in her step, there was clearly something that she wanted to let out.

He didn't want to admit to himself, though, that perhaps she was very much enamoured by him. The thought still seemed ludicrous; the whole arrangement that life had presented to him seemed ludicrous. Sure, he always harboured a desire to settle down properly; it'd take him away from Axel, who'd be a little too impatient to play babysitter to a wailing child. It wouldn't be peaceful, but Roxas figured that he didn't want to be the father that his very own father was to him.

As the years passed, he just felt that dream slipping through his fingers. Money was a major problem. His job wasn't particularly secure, even if he was working up the ladder. And that wouldn't make him a perfect husband, if not a perfect father.

He didn't know why, but every time a girl tried to talk to him, he'd just think of being a good father. Was that too weird? Perhaps. Axel used to tell him that it'd "scare off chicks who _may _want to consider a kiddo" and he was absolutely right.

Now…he didn't really know. And as he finally slowed down, releasing his grip on Xion's wrist, he wasn't very sure if he was ready for whatever Xion had to tell him.

They both went silent, in two completely different worlds for a while. Xion, thinking about how it all began and how absolutely brilliant it was; and Roxas, thinking about how it may possibly end and how absolutely terrible it would be.

He snapped out of it when he realised his dead silence. "What's on your mind?" the blonde asked.

"Huh?" Xion jerked up, slightly taken aback. She looked at his worried face, eyes narrowed, as though if he squinted, he could read her thoughts. For a moment, maybe he could. "Oh. Uh, nothing much…"

"Really." He knew exactly what she was thinking, but yet he was completely wrong.

Xion thought about it for a moment, and then she looked at their hands. Roxas was holding on to her wrist loosely; he didn't really want to let her go, even though they've stopped in the middle of the path, a small waterfall beside them, trickling quietly.

"This." She raised her wrist, Roxas still holding her. She slipped her hand into his, and then she held it in front of him. He didn't pull away; he just stared at it, transfixed. "We're not…friends."

Of all possible ways to start a confession, this was clearly not one of them. "Um…I guess…not?"

"Of course we're not. Friends don't just hold hands. They don't just kiss and end up in a bed together just like that. Right?" Xion stated, her tone unwavering, but quiet. "If we're not friends, then…what are we?"

Roxas didn't skip a beat on this one. "We're human."

"Very funny, Roxas."

"No, but we are, right?" He looked as confused as Xion, but there was not a trace of confusion or uncertainty in his voice, which surprised them both. "We have feelings. We're scared. And…we don't know what's going to happen."

He then started walking towards the waterfall; his eyes were as crystal clear as the shallow pool of water at the bottom, and Xion could tell that his thoughts were, as well. As though the power of their touch cleared things up. "You're scared because…you've never had a relationship, a proper one. And you have all these feelings and you don't really know what to make of them, but you know that…you're _happy_, and you want to keep it that way."

"And for me…" He stopped at the edge, pausing to collect his thoughts. "I'm scared…because I know what to make of them, but I don't really want that."

Xion furrowed her eyebrows. "And why is that?"

"Because…I don't really know what's going to happen in the future. Maybe. I don't really know. But all I can think of is whether I can be…someone good for you. Not just now, but later. Like, really later." He turned to look at her; he could see her brain slowly sorting through what he said, reading between the lines and trying to link it all back.

"But…you don't need to be scared of the future. There's only now, right?" Xion smiled. "You can't control what happens in the future. But you can control what happens now, and maybe it might just change your future."

"What if it's for the worse?"

At this, Xion grinned, finally finding her answer. "Roxas, if I ask you right now to formally be in a relationship with me, and you had one second to decide, what would you s-"

"Yes." And then Roxas widened his eyes and then he frowned. "But-"

"Have you always enjoyed being with me?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"If you _want _to be with me, and if you _like _it, I don't see what's the issue here." Xion grinned. "If you do the math, and if you think logically, chances are, you'll enjoy yourself with me."

Roxas slowly nodded. "But what if something happens?"

"For every one bad thing that happens, there will be at least ten good moments of us." Xion stood up, and then she kicked off her slippers, before she started walking into the shallow pool, much to Roxas' horror.

"Why ten? And how?"

Xion turned, and then she raised her arm, beckoning him to come forth to meet her in the middle. "Because I promise you that we'll make as many good moments as possible. And as for your last question…come closer and find out."

Roxas averted his eyes, not very sure of the proposition, and then he finally looked up, and Xion felt the blonde slowly putting his trust in her. "Are you sure?"

"As I said, you should probably come into the pool and find out."

She saw his smile slowly, but surely, appearing, and the light in his eyes came back. "Okay. I trust you."

Without a second thought he kicked off his shoes and joined her.

* * *

**After many disappointments, many great friendships made and after I started and ended one relationship, I am back. Hopefully for the long term. **

**Please tell me if I've done anything wrong with this update because all of a sudden a few days ago I _knew _how this story would go and how I wanted it to be written; for a very long time I've been thinking and wondering how I could write and finish TLC properly. And then I found out how, so I started writing and this is my final masterpiece.**

**I've been writing almost every day, but not in fanfics. I'm doing my internship in a magazine company in Singapore, so I write a lot. So...uh, let's hope this update was worth the year-long wait?**

**REVIEW because I need to know what I've done right/wrong.**

**And to everyone who is reading this right now because they saw the email alert in their mail...thank you. For following TLC even if it all seemed dark. I will see to it that I finish it properly.**


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